Indie music project Mount Hudson takes the acoustic traditions of American folk and imbues it with modern pop sensibilities. The brainchild of Brooklyn New York artist Dave Yim, who plays acoustic guitar and provides vocals, ‘Lakeside Water’ sees him joined by a cast of seeming thousands, including Marcus Bagala (mandolin, electric guitar), Rob Heath (drums), Andrew Miramonti (organ), and Claire Wellin on violin.
David Yim learned classical piano as a child, and then later began playing drums in rock bands. While studying at NYU he began writing his own songs, by way of a laptop computer and an acoustic guitar. Eventually he realised his heart lay in folk music, with its soft chord progressions and easy on the ear melodies. They lent him a warm palette for his early experiments in singing, and allowed his lyrics to flow out at their own pace.
Mount Hudson’s debut EP, the four track ‘Sad And Silly’, came out in 2016, and saw Yim bring together friends old and new, that he’d made in New York and as far as The Catskills. He went over older songs he’d laid down demos for years before, and re-engineered them so they were up to date in terms of technology, and how he was feeling now compared to then. Produced and engineered by Aaron Bastinelli, Mount Hudson were aware that the songs had to be somehow bigger and bolder than the demos, but at the same time they needed to retain the rootsy style that was their signature sound. First song to be released was ‘Write A Book’, in 2018, and now it’s followed by ‘Lakeside Water’, a ballad dedicated to the strength of love that lasts a lifetime, released on January 24.
‘Lakeside Water’ opens with steel strings, waltz rhythms, and traditional instruments. Dave Yim’s vocals are soft and laid back, accompanied by the gentle backing of Deb Oh. Images of old time dances, the sorts of places you met the love of your life, are conjured up by the music. Violins pick up the pace, adding an old time vibe to the lyrics which already are sweetly nostalgic – “tell me now tell me now / will you ride this train to the end”. The track is a beautiful love song, sadly poignant, sweetly produced.
You can find Mount Hudson and their music online on Bandcamp, their Official Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
‘Lakeside Water’ is out now and is available to stream on SoundCloud and Spotify.
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