Tristen Gaspadarek
has released four albums of impeccably made, tuneful guitar pop, netting her a devoted fan base and the respect of her peers without achieving breakout success. This is the recipe of a cult artist, one whose music remains consistently individualistic, meeting the high bar of her own standards, while remaining allergic to mainstream attention. At some point you just lean into it.
Tristen
's fifth album is titled
Unpopular Music
, and while it ought to be heard by many, it will at the very least be appreciated by those who consider her a woefully underrated singer/songwriter. Recorded at her Nashville home studio alongside husband and co-producer
Buddy Hughen
,
is warm, punchy, and abundant with the abstract lyricism and quirky, but vulnerable takes that are her hallmark. Tracks like "Skin of Our Teeth" and "Mona Lisa" are sweetly hummable, but barbed with enough hooks to snare even the most cautious. This is how
draws you in, by feeding you a perfect melody, then twisting it so you have to lean in and really listen to what she's talking about. While many of the tracks are taut and rhythmic, she can lay back, too. The dreamy "Rose and Thorn" is a deceptive little ballad with heaps of mystique and "Selkie Woman" is one of the prettiest songs she's released. It would be ironic if the cheekily meta
became
's breakthrough, though it is certainly good enough to do so. ~ Timothy Monger