Delivering diverse and eclectic indie songs coupled with meditative and vivid storytelling, singer-songwriter Ian Hinkley thinks outside the box.
From folk-punk to power-pop to ambient soundscapes, Hinkley takes listeners into his world for a sonic journey, and does so on his latest project, The Last Cool Summer. The 9-track album is set to release on November 22, 2024.
The album’s opening track, “Forward Evolution,” is chilling and ambient. Reminiscent of artists like Sigur Rós, the song builds with nearly three minutes of arpeggios, light strings, and animal chirping. Hinkley’s vocal performance is fresh and vulnerable, as he sings, “Don’t get angry / You can’t fight it / The forward evolution.” The song elicits feelings of floating in space or the middle of the ocean, an impressive and introspective ambient rock track.
The following song, “Sleeping Sack,” features delicate and raw guitar plucking that’s quite endearing. Strikingly sweet and playful, Hinkley says, “I won’t roll you to the floor / Even if you drool and snore / I’ll just lay here on my back / I will be your sleeping sack.” Using plentiful imagery and showcasing his personality, “Sleeping Sack” is a loving and affectionate folk track.
Another notable track, “Marnie’s Song,” is an upbeat and synth-heavy track similar to the eclectic alt-sound of bands like The Replacements. Hinkley delivers vocals like an indie frontman of the late 90s as he sings, “Marnie’s hair was thin and wet / She smelled like cigarettes and sweat / She moved around like a hurricane / All the punk kids danced the same.” The song is bright, danceable, and catchy.
Featuring just Hinkley and his guitar, “Over My Dead Body” is a simple acoustic track, whose harsh reverb guitar strums are evocative of folk-punk from the early 2000s. Despite its bare-bones styling, the track is full and striking, making it another one that sticks out on the album.
“Ultimately the album is about nostalgia as both a comfort and a trap,” states Hinkley. “The songs all weave in and out of the joy you feel when you live in a moment from the past, and the need to push out of that moment into an uncertain future.”
Based in Sonoma, California, Hinkley began pursuing his own solo projects during the pandemic after 25 years of playing in various bands ranging sonically from punk rock to acoustic folk, including Sonoma-based trio The Bumblin’ Bones.
On The Last Cool Summer, Ian Hinkley delivers an impressively personal and sonically diverse array of tracks across the album’s nine songs, offering something for fans of avant-garde folk, ambient music, and indie rock.
