by Patrick Pilch
Carolina Chauffe, aka hemlock, is one of the best songwriters in Chicago. Earlier this month they posted about not becoming a lawyer, a doctor, or an accountant like their parents wanted, to which I replied, “don’t even sweat it boss.” Then Carolina sent a message to share a pair of unreleased songs and said “odds are u will love.” I’m no gambler, nor am I an accountant, but the math checks out: new hemlock equals really, really good.
“Drive & Drive” and “Hyde Park,” the lead double single to hemlock’s forthcoming record 444, are the first full band re-recordings of choice cuts from hemlock’s song-a-day-a-month series. If there were ever a time to tune into a project besides yesterday, it would be this very instant, because hemlock in full band mode is most certainly the real deal. “Drive & Drive” documents the relentless drive to strike a balance, of tour life, and the kindness of strangers. It vividly parallels what one can easily imagine Chauffe’s nomadic, musical life to be; modern pastoral vignettes revolving around good people, good eats, good tunes, and long drives (which are often documented in their highly recommended Substack.)
Post-Trash’s own Delia Rainey covered hemlock’s phone-fi folk opus talk soon in 2022, but that’s not the last time we’ve heard from Chauffe. Since then, the songwriter has released a talk soon B-side, a live record, a pair of song-a-day tapes, and amen! in April. Dig into hemlock’s new tracks and back catalog while you wait for the release of 444 on October 11.
Check out hemlock’s road dog visuals for “Drive & Drive” and stream “Drive & Drive” b/w “Hyde Park” below that: