Tyler Ellis Releases A Warm and Personal New Album
- BuzzSlayers
- Jun 12
- 3 min read
A warm and honest new release from Tyler Ellis brings out such a welcoming set of tones with a blend of classic folk, blues, and more, all rolled into a record that boasts loads of personality oozing from every track, and this is a huge part of why the record hits the way it does.
Tyler is an artist who isn't really afraid to speak his mind through his music. I feel like he uses his songs to express or say things that he wants to say out loud in life but for some reason can't.
A lot of these songs are very personal, but still somewhat lighthearted, a little bit whimsical at times, and can come through with a rootsy kind of undertone but still colorfully.
The guitar work across this record is amazing. He really puts heart into the performances on the instrument, and between the acoustic guitars and the vocals, everything is very balanced and has an amazing way of putting you there, in the moment with the songs themselves.
The album is called a Hardwarestore, and one of my favorite tracks is the title track of the record itself.
It has a bit of a bluesy, bopping rhythm; the acoustics are inviting, and the lyrics have such a way of painting a picture. He's really expressing a lot on this track.
It's almost like a love song. It's about a relationship in which he's ready to take the next step.
But again, it's put in such a warm and light-hearted way that you automatically understand it. It's connective and relatable.
This is the kind of song that reminds me of when I wanted to say those kinds of things to my then girlfriend, now wife.
Just the way he articulates those lyrics, to sort of simplify things to the point where it feels like it's just someone talking to you. It feels almost like you're sitting down with someone and they're telling you about their stories.
That makes things so personal, and that element is laced across the entire album.
"On Everybody's Mind" is a track that feels like it was inspired by classic Nick Drake; it's got such a vintage folk approach, beautiful guitar work, the vocals are beautifully performed, and it just feels like you're watching a live performance this whole time.
I wasn't there, so I'm not sure how they were recorded but listening to the record makes you want to go see Tyler perform these.
This was a record that captures a certain aesthetic. It is able to paint wonderful pictures as songs unfold, and each song serves almost like a chapter in the artist's life.
Plenty of songs, including the ones I've already mentioned, stand on their own two feet very well as singles, but again, there are surprising elements throughout the record, and he does branch off here and there, along with telling all these different stories, so listening to the full album is an absolute must.
"For Your Tears" gives a damn near perfect blend of the folk and the blues. The guitar work, once again, is stellar here. It's performed with soul, and you just get pulled right into the textures of those instruments.
His vocal approach is so soft at times. He's got this delicate style to how he performs a lot of the time. He's right there on the microphone, which just makes it feel more personal. It makes it feel like you are in that live performance, but he's singing right next to you.
It gives the album a very one-on-one type of sound.
I feel like that's part of what makes this work so well. The personal approach to storytelling.
The way he's unafraid to tell these stories in such a straightforward way is amazing, and if you listen to the whole record, all the way through, you get the full picture.
These songs are like chapters in his book, as I mentioned earlier. You wouldn't skip chapters in a book, nor would I suggest skipping songs on this record.
You should really dive headfirst into this one and soak in all of these amazingly performed folk and blues songs.
You can definitely hear certain elements of Americana or country in there scattered about, but it's really a folk record with that blues underbelly always showing face, especially in that guitar work.
He doesn't hold back lyrically, and there are no walls built around this record whatsoever.
These are the kinds of things that make it so enticing.
So, check this record out; it just released today, and remember where you heard it first.
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