Lead single ‘Reward’ comes from 22° Halo, the recording project of Philadelphia-based songwriter and producer Will Kennedy. We’ve followed 22° Halo for a good while, most recently with album Lily of the Valley on Tiny Library Records. An album which “displayed the easy lo-fi nature that Kennedy projects so well,” as we wrote, “small and soft indie pop songs that handle real-life struggles with a shining sense of hope.” Continuing this style, ‘Reward’ makes for the ideal introduction to True Names. Something in its gentle compassion embodies the project’s spirit, Kennedy’s familiar willingness to broach difficulties with empathy and warmth aligning perfectly with the mission set out by Worry Bead Records.

Album art by Sami Martasian

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Now recording under the alias Salt, Nankof has announced a brand new album on Philadelphia label Sleeper Records. Titled after the project, the album sees Nankof develop his style from the sundog days (think warm but introspective bedroom pop built on acoustic guitar) with a newfound creative confidence.

Today, Salt unveils the album’s lead single, ‘Summer Swimming.’ The song starts hazily introspective, folk, pop and indie rock influences colliding in the blend of acoustic guitar and Nankof’s yearning vocals. But the energy grows as the track advances, heralded with the snarl of electric guitar and shambling drums. The vocals grow increasingly passionate, ending with a repeated line that holds unspoken power in its sheer simplicty.

oh I miss my friend

The track also comes with a video by Gabriel Vozza Garcia, which we are delighted to share today. It sees Nankof take a drive and explore a deserted shoreline, and although it’s a strangely chilly-looking scene given the title (there is snow on the ground and the trees are bare), almost every shot is suffused with light. Whether it’s flat white light of the beach scenes, or the sun beaming through the windshield, it becomes something of a visual metaphor for the longing at the song’s centre, its fleeting heat a reminder of the enveloping warmth of summer.

Salt will be released on 17th September on Sleeper Records. Pre-order it now on cassette tape or digital download from the Sleeper Records Bandcamp page.

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