Hunter Cahill adeptly disguises the subject matter of “Laughable.” While introducing yourself to the single, it is easy to merely relax and appreciate the sometimes cozy and other times forceful vocals from Cahill. The song’s instrumental build also distracts from the message. The start features an acoustic guitar sitting atop a soft synth. Percussion and electric guitar wait their turns to enter.
Because the lyrics aren’t important during these initial opportunities to hear “Laughable,” only the emphasized statements that are well-tailored to the lively melody are able to pass through the feel-good filter created by the song’s vibe. So, this is another “I’m coming home” song, right? Wrong! It is only after closely listening to the lyrics that the darkness reveals itself. “Laughable” is about being prepared to die after feeling “I’ve been the fool all along.” Hunter Cahill explained in an Instagram post, “It's about feeling like a joke and wanting to die.”
Cahill is based in Austin, Texas. He writes from experience and with honesty. He has battled with maintaining his mental health. The press materials regarding his recent releases note:
“The process proved an essential form of therapy and recovery for the artist. In turn, the music provides the same assisting hands to those who delve in and listen. The honesty of these songs is sometimes overwhelming, often heartbreaking, always compelling. A careful intertwining of the acoustic folk world and rock’s heavier, fuller sound.”
Panda Collective: Hunter Cahill - Laughable
The Texan musician gives us a vulnerable piece through which he finds salvation.
Music is medicine and that becomes clear when we listen to songs like 'Laughable', in which Hunter Cahill takes us to the very depths of the hole in which he was, as many of us will recognize, during the worst moments of an emotional crisis.
''I wrote 'Laughable' while going through a period of deteriorating mental health. I was dealing with sadness, anger, and regret. I felt that I had made all the wrong decisions and that everyone was laughing at me. I wanted to die'.'
Fortunately, and partly because he used the writing of this track as catharsis, the musician is in a better place. The vulnerability shown in this single is admirable, in which the doubts and insecurities that try to take over everything are expressed openly, helping the listener to recognize himself in them.
Strong melodies that remind us of some great moments of bands like Arcade Fire circa The Suburbs and folk artists like David Bazan or Frank Turner round out this proposal that, although its main attraction is in the voice and narrative, the musical aspect serves as a comforting lair for these thoughts and emotions.
(Translated from Spanish)
We Love That Sound: Hunter Cahill - Falling Down
'Falling Down' by Hunter Cahill is about the daily routine and how to shimmy from weekday to weekday. What most people forget, we are all sitting in this hamster wheel, but we all deal with it differently. Some people save themselves in the evening with a glass of red wine and others just don't have enough. That's what Falling Down is about and everyone will find themselves in the song.
(Translated from German)
Read at We Love That Sound
Austin Town Hall: Hunter Cahill Shares Falling Down
Every month you get a new Hunter Cahill tune, at least until we’ve got all the tracks from his album Some Things You Don’t Know About Me. This one has this bouncing indie rock vibe to it, something built on a kind of bounding rhythmic line that lets piano notes tinker and guitar flutter when necessary. Perhaps one of the reasons I’ve really been all over this track is the subject matter, with the narrator admitting to turning to drugs at a young age to cope with the every day reality they face; it’s something I can personally relate to, and I’m sure I’m not the only one in that boat. There’s a certain intimacy that gets shared when you can find common ground like this, but I stand by the song’s musical joy as well! Keep your ears peeled back as you’ll get a few more songs before the year’s up; we’ll do our best to keep you posted.
Soundsphere Magazine: Listen: Hunter Cahill – ‘Never Again’
Hunter Cahill has presented us with one of the more melodic, and creative alternative rock songs of 2021. Beautiful guitar lines meet country beats and a unique, empathetic vocal style that will motivate and inspire.
I will be giving this repeat listens, for sure. Fans of Manchester Orchestra and REM, rejoice. This is stunning stuff.
Indie Criollo: Hunter Cahill - "Never Again"
Never Again uses the delicacy of slowcore to enter the most difficult places in our head, as if it were a song that demolishes any fear that it finds in its visit to our interior. Hunter Cahill created a composition to lock us in our world and never repeat the mistakes of the past. The impression of this song is to create a very intense reflective atmosphere, which makes us fly in the middle of the disaster we left behind, so feel it with pure power.
Unxigned: Hunter Cahill – “Goddamn”
“There’s more to life than your bottom line,” Hunter Cahill wearily pleads in the first single from their upcoming debut album Some Things You Don’t Know About Me. This first release, “Goddamn”, is just one of twelve that will explore the all too human quest of reconciling the story we tell ourselves with our actual experience.
“Goddam” focuses on the transactional nature of those relationships. In these failing relationships, Hunter Cahill’s dark vocal timbre juxtaposes the bright guitar. The naïve hope of the instrumentation jarringly emphasizes the direct lyrics. “It feels like all I’m worth is what I can do for you.”
Halfway through the song, the optimistic guitar solos. With slight distortion, the last light of hope flickers. In this capitalistic society, reaching out for a deeper connection isn’t often reciprocated. There’s always someone else’s selfish desire to contend with.
Even the opening, the gentle heart-on-the-sleeve acoustic strumming sounds like it’s inviting other instruments to join. But only the consistently repetitive drums show up, doing the bare minimum to sustain the forward motion. Musically, it’s a brave and risky choice that pays off; emotionally, it’s a gut punch that further emphasizes each lyric. Please, someone, give Hunter a hug.
We Love That Sound: Hunter Cahill - Goddamn
Hunter Cahill got around quite a bit. Grew up in Albuquerque, where he took his first musical steps and played in various bands. Then he moved to Seattle, where he continued to fine-tune his sound. Finally he made his way to Austin, where he wrote on his debut album: “Maybe it was the climate, or the time in my life, but writing the songs for this album turned into a deep journey inward reflecting on my life, my relationships and my own mental health. I started questioning where I came from, where I was going, and who I was. "
Today the first single 'Goddamn' is out and you can really hear every influence in his music. So it pays to walk openly through life.
(Translated from German)
Austin Town Hall: Hunter Cahill Shares Goddamn Single
When you press play on this new track from Hunter Cahill, you’ll get a muted guitar that opens up into the perfect rock ballad; it kicks in with this perfect punch of classic indie rock. Cahill has some vocal similarities to David Bazan, which definitely drew me into this tune, but I think the best moments here revolve around the chorus, allowing the guitars to hang up in the air, before crashing down with this emotional punch that eventually evolves into this soaring melodic burst. If you dig what you hear, keep an ear out, as Cahill will be releasing a new single every month as he gears up to share his new LP!