It’s always interesting to hear a new artist for the first time and it’s especially so when you get to hear them with a minimum of outside influence and professional polish layered on. The new EP from this Chicago-born and currently Berlin-based singer-songwriter is an opportunity to do just that. The four songs on the EP give listeners a sense of the broad palette that Hildebrand brings to the craft. The song sketches are solid and call to mind songwriters ranging from Rivers Cuomo to Jack Johnson. Listeners who stick around for the full run of the EP are rewarded as the final track ‘Fill Up Your Cup’ is the strongest by far. The instrumental arrangements, lyrics, and vocal delivery all point toward what Hildebrand is capable of.
