Since the mid-2010s, Londoner Will Westerman has quietly amassed an engaging catalog of airy, downtempo pop songs that cut an interesting path through the pristine studio craft of late-'70s soft rock, U.K. folk, and the warm synth-pop of '80s pioneers like
Talk Talk and
the Blue Nile. Although his output of singles and EPs has stayed relatively consistent, he's taken his time to work up to a full-length, letting his material evolve at its own thoughtful pace. Spearheaded by the misty tones of "Blue Comanche" and the quixotic wanderlust of "Think I'll Stay," Westerman's first long-form set, Your Hero Is Not Dead, is a beguiling and subtle debut. Placing content over hooks, his delicately constructed songs come across as a little unassuming at first, though they are easy to spend time with and soon open like warm little rooms of introspective sonic splendor. Recorded mostly in Portugal and produced by longtime collaborator, Nathan Jenkins (aka Bullion), the arrangements are deliberately sparse and textured with luxurious reverbs and vaporous synth pads complementing Westerman's heavily-treated guitar work. In a soft-edged voice that is, at times, reminiscent of
Arthur Russell, he reflects on relationships, the beauty of simplicity, and moving through strife in a relaxed but forthright manner that dovetails neatly with his soothing music. A moving soundtrack of the self that would as easily complement a bird's eye view from a plane window as it would a long pastoral walk, Westerman creates music to think and daydream and plot adventures to. Arriving among a musical landscape of clean, but often vacuous bedroom pop, he has created something of lasting substance and clarity. ~ Timothy Monger