Westerman
As Westerman, British singer/songwriter Will Westerman makes understated, prog-tinged indie pop/rock with a cerebral bent reminiscent of acts like Peter Gabriel, Talk Talk, and Steely Dan. After sharing a handful of tracks and a 2017 debut EP, his first full-length release, Your Hero Is Not Dead, appeared in 2020. The political-minded single "Idol; RE-run," a collaboration with Big Thief's James Krivchenia, appeared in 2022 ahead of his Los Angeles-recorded follow-up LP, 2023's An Inbuilt Fault.
At first recording mostly with acoustic guitar, light effects, and percussion, the Londoner's earliest singles appeared on streaming sites throughout 2016. He made his label debut on Blue Flowers Music with the Call and Response EP in August 2017. Featuring more textured arrangements that added keyboards and electric guitar, it marked a shift away from gentle folk-pop into a space between 1970s soft rock, more technical prog rock, and contemporary bedroom electronic pop. He reinforced the transition by having his friend Bullion produce the two-track single "Confirmation"/"I Turned Away," which arrived in early 2018.
"Confirmation" enjoyed minor online buzz, giving Westerman's career a boost and creating interest in the remainder of his output for that year: two singles and a four-track EP, Ark. He played his first U.S. dates in late 2018 and -- aside from an August guest appearance on Amen Dunes' track "L.A." -- spent the bulk of 2019 either touring or recording. Bullion assisted with sessions for Westerman's debut album, and these took place in both southern Portugal and London. In January 2020, Westerman signed to Partisan Records (PIAS), which issued the environmentally themed single "Blue Comanche," his first material in over a year. Further singles were released before "Your Hero Is Not Dead" -- reputedly composed on the day that Talk Talk's Mark Hollis died -- was issued in April. The full-length Your Hero Is Not Dead followed on Partisan in June 2020.
After a period that included the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, a move to Athens, Greece, and disenchantment with making music, Westerman returned to songwriting with a more uncompromising approach. A song he wrote shortly after the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, "Idol; RE-run," was recorded with producer/percussionist James Krivchenia (Big Thief) and released in October 2022. Further sessions with Krivchenia -- alongside a handful of additional players based in Los Angeles -- resulted in Westerman's second album, An Inbuilt Fault, being issued in 2023.
© Marcy Donelson & James Wilkinson /TiVo
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An Inbuilt Fault
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan - Play It Again Sam on May 5, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Your Hero Is Not Dead
Alternative & Indie - Released by Play It Again Sam on Jun 5, 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Confirmation / I Turned Away
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on Feb 13, 2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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An Inbuilt Fault (Deluxe)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan - Play It Again Sam on Sep 22, 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Call and Response
Alternative & Indie - Released by Westerman on Oct 6, 2020
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Blue Comanche
Alternative & Indie - Released by Play It Again Sam on Jan 15, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Take
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan - Play It Again Sam on Mar 22, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
CSI: Petralona
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan - Play It Again Sam on Feb 1, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Blue Comanche (Sketch)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Play It Again Sam on Jan 13, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Idol; RE-run
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan - Play It Again Sam on Oct 12, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Waiting On Design
Alternative & Indie - Released by Play It Again Sam on Apr 7, 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Your Hero Is Not Dead (Unaccompanied)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Play It Again Sam on Apr 21, 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Edison
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on May 9, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Lens Turning
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan - Play It Again Sam on May 2, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Edison (Ross From Friends Remix)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Partisan Records on May 9, 2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Line
Alternative & Indie - Released by Play It Again Sam on May 7, 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo