Westerman - "CSI: Petralona"

Westerman has announced his sophomore album and shared the second single, "CSI: Petralona."

On Westerman's excellent debut record Your Hero Is Not Dead, the singer used glassy synth textures to create mesmerizing pop songs that were immediate and elegantly crafted. A distinct and impressive voice that hovered over the mix to give it a stately prescence, his striking take on pop songs made for tranquil melodies over easy rhythms. On his new one, "CSI: Petralona," he trades those shimmering synths for tribal drum beats (courtesy of Big Thief percussionist James Krivchenia) and acoustic guitar, giving us campfire vibes that swell with powerful harmonies which lift the track to new levels while maintaining its simplicity. There are subtle hints of whirling electronics that creep into the mix as well which give it that rather distinct Westerman vibe while also allowing him to explore new ground. In a statement, Westerman said:

I had the riff for the song and left it lying around with a bunch of other bits and pieces. A friend told me that Tom Waits has this image of having a musical junk drawer of old parts that you haven’t found anything to do with. It came from there. I went to Greece for a month to scope out if I wanted to move here, and a friend encouraged me to write about this strange day I had there. The lyrics were immediate. It’s presented on the album as it was first written. It’s the most autobiographical song on the record.

 It's deeply introspective and celebrates the humanity in music and moves away from the synthetic components that dominate our life. Hearing it makes you feel like you're in the room and catching the musicians in the act of making something truly special, something that ruminates over the entire record.

An Inbuilt Fault is out May 5.