Deer Fellow “Hues” (LP)

Deer Fellow is a unique music project calling to mind some of my favorite acts, Down Like Silver and Bon Iver coming to mind. The duo behind Deer Fellow hail from Austin, Texas, which seems only fitting given the Bon Iver reference, along with the alternative pop sound they embrace in each of their songs. Their new album release is Hues, an experimental love letter to the weirdhouse genre they specialize in – equal parts singer-songwriter, equal parts indie pop, equal parts lo-fi grunge.

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 The songs have this beautiful, contemplative quality, and while boasting impressive production value and excellent sound mixing don’t seem to strive for technical perfection as much as experiential immersion. You really feel as the listener like you’re transported to another place, something ethereal and dream-like with a considerable emotional center. There’s this weirdly melancholic sense to each of the tracks, something wistful and nostalgic that with the masterful engineering creates this sonic vista it’s easy to drift off to.

 “We are an indie pop/folk duo with a focus on intricate vocal harmonies and guitar-violin blends,” Deer Fellow frontmen Matt Salois and Alyssa Kelly stated in an interview with VoyageAustin. “Being a duo isn’t super common in Austin and many folks have said they are surprised at how full our sound is for just being two people. Matt does live guitar looping and Alyssa plays violin and synth. We are very proud to be Sonic Guild 2024 grant recipients and have played at the Long Center this month to celebrate that.

 We were also Official SXSW artists for the first time this past year which was an exhilarating experience. Last year we were featured as one of the artists in EASTside Magazine’s music issue which was a huge honor. Our debut EP was named one of the top releases of 2021 by the Austin-American Statesman.”

Hues is likely to follow in the aforementioned footsteps. The album feels crisp, coherent, tight, and the work of two people entirely comfortable in their aesthetic. It’s always enjoyable when you feel an artist or artists are in their element, Salois and Kelly fully indicating this in every sense. Each of the tracks feel like a narrative with continuity, like these micro-doses of story where it’s not just about the music, but about the implementation of an idea. This likely stems from the workman-like relationship Salois and Kelly have cultivated with the distribution of their music.

 They manage everything, from the recording to the packaging of the materials, and there’s something about that ensuring a genuine care about each of the products. “We have always been fully DIY which means we are constantly wearing all the hats,” Salois and Kelly said. “Many people think being a musician is just playing shows but we are small business owners. We do marketing, accounting, website management, content creation, advertising, sales, and more. Plus we have to find the time to create the actual music itself. All of the business management in addition to the vulnerability of sharing one’s art can be quite challenging.”

Mark Druery