Lamplight

R.I.Y.L. Alex G, William Tyler, Steve Gunn, Ryley Walker, Wilco. In the sway of a rural breeze, Hatcher-Williams' vocals soothe and enchant the listener on his self-titled debut, which recounts his odyssey from a child raised in a Virginia cult, to a burned out tech worker in New York, and then back to Virginia, happily married to his childhood friend. Throughout the album, he explores identity as it relates to where a person is from and evolves with where they live, and how that facet of self is further compounded by the amount of agency one has over where they call home. To some extent, Lamplight is about learning when to take the reins, and when to let go—discovering what parts of yourself should be pruned, so new branches can grow. Hatcher-Williams, born into a New Age community headquartered in southwest Virginia, spent his early years entrenched in art studies and playing in various bands, before studying design and programming at a local community college. A job opportunity