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Let's slow it down for a minute

I'm tired, so let's listen to some relatively soothing music.

Bill Hanstock

12 Feb 2025 — 2 min read

Sending another free-for-all today, as my son has been sleeping quite poorly, which means I have been sleeping even less well. So in lieu of a standard midweek essay/review, here’s a nice little playlist for you of some mostly-acoustic or at least laid-back bands that you can listen to since everything in America is now metaphorically on fire now that the literal fires in Southern California have been contained.

But if you’d like to become a paid subscriber, I definitely encourage you to do that!

The New Amsterdams

The side project of the frontman for The Get Up Kids, The New Amsterdams have been making very chill music for a very long time now, but in my opinion, they’ve never been better than on their second album, Worse for the Wear.

This Wild Life

I extremely relate to a couple of pop punkers who fully transitioned to acoustic chillwave, and This Wild Life’s first three albums are all extremely good sometimes-happy and sometimes-sad acoustic harmony fests.

Even In Blackouts

A bit less laid-back is Even In Blackouts, the all-acoustic side project of one of the less problematic members of Screeching Weasel. I’m very, very happy I had the chance to see Even In Blackouts live once, and I’m stoked that they have covered a lot of extremely good songs, including the criminally underrated “One Fine Day.” (Also underrated: the movie One Fine Day and Natalie Merchant’s cover of the same song from that film.)

Erica Freas

One of the frontpersons of RVIVR, Erica Freas has been putting out solo albums for a few years now, and she’s very, very talented. “Spider Song” has also been recorded by RVIVR, and I recommend not looking up the lyrics unless you want to risk an ugly cry.

Rocky Votolato

Rocky Votolato is another artist who’s been doing the solo thing for a very long time now, and is one of those “favorite musician’s favorite musician” types. A pretty good thing to be!

Chuck Ragan / Austin Lucas

Chuck Ragan is one of the singers from Hot Water Music and has been putting out solo acoustic stuff for nearly two decades now. Austin Lucas is more steeped in the country/folk tradition. They put out an incredible collab album back in 2008 and it still hits!

Old Man Markley

Old Man Markley put out a couple albums of bluegrass punk before disappearing, but this song will always find its way into my playlists.

Kings of Convenience

Indie folk from Norway? Buddy, you better BELIEVE that shit is chill as hell.

Phil Ochs

One of the greatest protest singers of all time, hounded by the FBI and driven to an early end, you need to get a diet of some Phil Ochs in your life. His songs have never been more relevant.

Jackson C. Frank

Another talented and influential folk musician who had a long battle with mental illness, Jackson C. Frank’s most well-known song was covered in a lovely fashion by Simon and Garfunkel, who still have some of the best melodies ever put on wax. Too bad those guys hate each other!