by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Disclaimer: I have worked with Steve Hartlett as part of Exploding In Sound Records for many years. The reason for that is based on the fact that I think he’s an incredible musician and a wonderful person. I believe in him and his music with all my heart. With that in mind…
For the past decade, Steve Hartlett has been the primary force behind both Ovlov and Stove, and repeatedly proven to be one of this generation’s best songwriters with a knack for combining grit and pop. There have been a lot of other who have tried to replicate his style but they fall short. While Hartlett has released several “solo” projects over the years, he’s never shared one under his own name, until now. While Ovlov has been hard at work on a new record, Hartlett recently took a trip to Nashville and recording a new record together with frequent collaborator Alex Molini (Stove, Philary, Pile) handling production/keys and Shell Of A Shell’s Ian Sundstrom on percussion. Much like the stunning Stove EP’s Is A Toad In The Rain and Is The Meat That Fell Out, Hartlett’s solo record, Solitude For Dummies, takes a lo-fi approach, scaling back the volume and letting his songwriting shine with a gentle resolve.
From the big pop dance groove of the intro to “156 Dance Song” to the contemplative calm of “Instrumental Breakdown (Rusty Chain),” the albums runs many moods and temperaments, a quick but nuanced flip through Hartlett’s warm and familiar songs. The feelings are relatable and open, with an earnest charm to their self-doubt and sense of cracked hope. Songs like “Helen’s Hand” takes a dreamy approach to creating a world of its own, one where all is what you make it, as notes delicately skitter across the acoustic strumming. “Favorite Friends” (much like Stove’s Favorite Friend album) has a steady pulse and fluid progression that feels something like watching water run down stream. There’s hooks everywhere you look, delivered with an ever subtle touch. Without the immediacy of Ovlov and Stove’s crushing riffs and dense rhythms, Solitude For Dummies has room to breath, evolving at its own gorgeous pace.