On episode 120 of the WOTT Music podcast we played “December”, the lead track from Sam Hoffman’s debut album, Fairweather, and, surprise!, we liked it. As remarked on that episode, there’s something immediately familiar about the style of Hoffman’s music that is reminiscent of Matthew Sweet.
Also noted on that show is how lazy of a journalistic tactic it is to simply toss one musician into a “Recommend If You Like” category of someone with more familiarity to the listener. Yes, the comparison is apt but it’s a disservice to the discrete details of the record and Fairweather is full of discrete details. Hoffman’s voice has a melancholy aching to it that avoids every feeling saccharine or forced, the guitar work throughout the record is gentle but remarkably intricate and it’s all delightfully catchy.
Sam Hoffman was a complete unknown over here at WOTT HQ but each listen of Fairweather has proven to be more rewarding with each listen.