Derby Hill’s self-titled EP is the kind of record that makes you want to hear again and again, it gets better after each listen.
He recorded this thing in Chicago basements and hall closets, and you can hear the honesty in every track. He just released songs about real people dealing with real problems. The arrangements surprise you, they’re bigger and more cinematic than you’d expect from such stripped-down recording spaces, but the lyrics stay grounded, full of working-class neighborhoods and hard-won wisdom. These characters could be your neighbors, your family, maybe even you on a tough day. Tracks like “Red Honey Wine’ and “Come Back Home” deserve your full attention.
Derby Hill draws from his influences like Warren Zevon and Richard Buckner, but he’s also adding his uncle Homer and Hunter Thompson to the mix, which tells you he’s pulling from life as much as music. The result is an EP that cares more about connection than perfection. These are songs about stepping forward when you don’t know how, about reconciliation that takes years, about redemption that doesn’t come easy.
You need to follow Derby Hill on social media down below to keep up with his music and see where he goes next.
