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Tyler Ballgame

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If an artist has been compared to names like Tim Buckley, Roy Orbison, John Lennon and Randy Newman, the expectations are inevitably high. Listening to Tyler Ballgame, those references do not feel like names thrown around lightly, but like an attempt to describe what is unusual about his voice. You understand almost immediately why Rough Trade Records brought him onto the label. The journey from small clubs and open mic nights in Los Angeles to the roster of a classic record label has been a fast one.

Ballgame released his debut album, For the First Time, Again, at the start of this year. His music draws on the singer-songwriter tradition of the 1960s and 70s, but the sound never collapses into mere retro reference. There is timelessness, melodic assurance and a freshness that turns old materials into something distinctly his own. The Guardian caught the essential point in its review, writing that Ballgame has an exceptionally beautiful voice, even if his influences can at times be heard quite openly.

The debut album, moving through classic rock, indie and Americana, was produced by Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado and Ryan Pollie, longtime collaborators who have developed a warm, classicist sound across multiple records. Rado is also one of the most in-demand indie producers of recent years, with credits including Weyes Blood, The Killers, The Lemon Twigs, Alex Cameron, and Miley Cyrus.

In Tyler Ballgame’s music, the voice is central, but so are the structures of the songs, the melodies and the way he lets classic influences breathe in the present tense.