Kyle Adem is a folk musician from Gastonia, North Carolina, who dropped out of a buisness administration major to pursue his own creative goals. I find myself drawn to this sort of character – people with that extra bit of determination to shun the stereotypical school-college-job-retire route for something risky but rewarding.
Across his work I hear a number of influences. ‘I’ll Get Back To You’ and ‘Glorious’ are reminiscent of The Mountain Goats, ‘Brother, Follow’ has suggestions of Andy Hull and ‘Sunlight & The Sea’ is much more of a rock song, something that Jeremiah Nelson might have made. This isn’t to say that Adem does not have his own sound, the comparisons merely show how varied he is able be.
Adem is a storyteller and his songs are richy created with a passion and anger. ‘Brother, Follow’, standout track on the new LP Armour, highlights this perfectly; An age-old disatisfaction with society, exasperation at the situation all underpinned with with a yearning for something, a hope that prevents the song from being downright violent but rather a furious wish for better.
Armour is due for release on July 24. Previous releases can be bought here.