27 / Hologram by Angelo De Augustine

Over the course of three intimate and exceptional solo albums, Angelo De Augustine has quickly made a name for himself as one of the most gifted young songwriters of the modern age. The reclusive Southern California artist now returns with “27” and “Hologram,” two new singles that find De Augustine exploring Greek and Roman history, monsters and ghouls, evil, death, faith, love, destruction, and opposing deities. These originals–recorded, produced, and mixed by Angelo–hint at a larger sound to come, and a profound artistic evolution years in the making.

De Augustine began work on “27” in 2019 while recording initial demos that would become A Beginner’s Mind, and features instrumental assistance from friend and label-mate Sufjan Stevens. “Hologram” alternately disguises its depths in the body of a simple folk song. Starting in 5/4 time, the track’s dexterous octave jumping melody subliminally morphs into a 3/3 waltz, before quickly dissolving into a 4/4 chorus. Its lyrics depict dystopian and hellish landscapes painted over with age long myths, games of telephone, what it means to be evil, and how evil itself is often misunderstood.

These two offerings are his first new music since 2021’s acclaimed collaborative LP with Sufjan Stevens, A Beginner’s Mind, and his first solo work since 2020’s dual tracks “Santa Barbara” and “Blue.”

Arriving on the heels of 2021’s 'A Beginner’s Mind'—a collaboration with labelmate Sufjan Stevens—'Toil and Trouble' marks Angelo De Augustine’s first solo effort since his 2019 LP, 'Tomb.' His fourth solo LP exists according to its own quixotic logic, inhabiting a psychic landscape as sublimely mystifying as a fever dream or fairy tale.