These LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks are soothing, restrained, and sincere, coming to you from artists like inkind, Jake Stirn, NT Fitch, and more!
1. inkind – Feels Like Home
Feels Like Home is a tender, warm exploration of intimacy and human connection. Filled with cosy acoustic guitars, unpolished harmonies, and gentle vocals, the track feels like an invitation to inkind’s home for a warm cup of coffee. The entire song is minimal in its arrangement and production, giving it a relaxed, friendly atmosphere: one where you don’t have to put on any masks to be accepted. It’s sincere and doesn’t rely on any big moments or elements to draw you in, and gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling that many indie songs chase but few get bang on – Feels Like Home is a great listen!
2. Jake Stirn – Thought of You
Jake Stirn’s Thought of You has a current of melancholia that reaches you even through its uptempo pop-leaning production. Perhaps the most striking thing about the song’s message is how straightforwardly it’s delivered: Stirn doesn’t shout, sound overly bitter, or dramatise the pain he feels. All he does is lay out the facts (“I’ve been drinking more, I’ve been thinking less / Parked up at the bar in my Sunday best”), and this simplicity makes you feel like he’s talking directly to you, like he’s sharing one of his most vulnerable moments with a close friend. The song screams resignation and devastating acceptance, and hits where it hurts.
3. NT Fitch – E Minor Baby
From NT Fitch’s album Beyond The Blue comes E Minor Baby: a soft, melancholic, reflective track. It’s a song that doesn’t clamour for your attention – rather, its understated, minimalist production draws you in effortlessly instead. This subtlety carries through every element of the track, therefore giving Fitch’s voice as well as the track’s message space to resonate without anything distracting you from them. “I was you yesterday / Thought I had power/ Thought the applause was real,” sings Fitch, and as the song progresses, his voice blooms with emotion; impossible to ignore, impossible to tear your attention away – that’s what E Minor Baby does. Give it a listen here!
4. The Rising Shine Project – My Dad
With a folk-country twang, The Rising Shine Project’s My Dad is a sincere, personal tribute to not just fathers and fatherhood, but also belief, gratitude, and the learnings you carry with you through life. It’s lyrically simple and straightforward, giving the song a special kind of sincerity – it’s easy to know that The Rising Shine Project believes wholeheartedly in what they sing, and none of what they say is without good reason. With equally simple and minimal instrumentation – a pared-back acoustic guitar and drumming that’s just in the background, moving the song forward, My Dad is sure to stay with you!
5. Larry Karpenko – Lullaby for a King
Larry Karpenko rings in the festive season with Lullaby for a King, a solemn, melodic Christmas song that paints a vivid picture of nativity with gentle reverence. Opening with a gentle piano that eventually serves as the base for an evocative choir-like string layer and Karpenko’s tender vocals, the song draws you in and puts you in the zone of both Christmas and tranquillity. It’s simple and restrained, leaning into the titular lullaby feel, giving the song a sense of both personality and intimacy. If you enjoy songs that are soothing and spiritual in a non-presumptuous way, Lullaby for a King may be just for you – check it out!
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