Overpass by Scott Hardware

For fans of Sufjan Stevens, Olivia Tremor Control, Asher White, experimental Americana, and the romanticization of the little victories that we achieve when we take the off ramp from the great rat race, Overpass by Scott Hardware soothes our deepest social anxieties with a varied singer-songwriter approach. Influences from baroque pop, traditional folk, and indie rock swirl together to create an undeniably strong canvas for songwriting, one upon which Scott Hardware paints gentle strokes of cozy vocals, holding us close as the catchy, approachable melodies give us reason to stay. Field recordings place the record among our most mundane environments, from highways to subways to city streets, places which on their own typically inspire nothing within us. However, in the hands of an expert songwriter, these everyday scenes become the site of charming everyday victories, moments which we benefit from savoring but which hold little value to society at large. Until we start recognizing the little embers of greatness floating by our heads every day, we’ll stay tunnel-visioned on the great lottery of capitalism, leading us to bear-certain ruinous defeat.