Daniel Romano, T. Hardy Morris

From the venue:

Finally Free marks yet another stylistic shift for prolific Ontario songwriter Daniel Romano. Released earlier this year, the LP is a nine-track cycle of folk experiments unlike any Romano has previously released. “Empty Husk,” the album’s opener, unfurls like an incantation: sparse acoustic chords and Romano’s restrained, reedy vocals eventually swelling to a vibrant crescendo. A departure from the rambunctious guitar pop of 2017’s Modern Pressure, the tracks on Finally Free have an unfettered quality, their layered harmonies and psych-folk refrains permitted to wander before reaching their natural conclusions. Recorded on a single microphone on a four-track cassette recorder, all instruments on Finally Free are played by Romano (aside from piano contributions from longtime collaborator Kay Berkel), lending an air of intimacy to what he describes as his “most accomplished and honest musical output.” — Emily Maxwell