Musician and producer Timothy Showalter strummed out golden tears with his most recent release HEAL. The Philly native leaned into a lonely place and ripped out anthemic guitar riffs on “Shut In.” On the single “Goshen ‘97” his understated lyrics let listeners in without being dragged under. With this release we’re allowed to dance, listen, relate and enjoy. His themes are pedestrian- singing of buying casios, menthols and “not wanting to start all over again.” If it sounds like he’s ripping from 2000s punk bands a la Dinosaur Jr, you may have just caught onto his secret- the album progresses in autobiography as Showalter’s taste in music and high school estrangement let on. Strand of Oaks joined KUTX live on Sept. 9 following his stop at Lambert’s Downtwon Barbeque.
-Shannon Williams
