Charlatans At The Garden Gate
Click to listen to Tristen’s “Baby Drugs” and “Heart and Hope To Die”
When Tristen Gaspadarek belts “show me how your daddy and your mama made you” on the twangy rocker “Heart And Hope To Die,” it takes a second for the come-on to register. Her addictive debut is full of such moments: catchy refrains with multiple meanings, ear-tugging melodies with hidden hooks. She flaunts a philosophy major’s palette amidst echoes of vintage rockabilly and girl group pop: Gods battle, queens bid their rule, girlfriends enable druggy lovers. The romantic metaphor “Tadpole” pivots on the psychodramatic line “hate me oh boy.” It suggests two things: dangerous girlfriend material, and an artist worth watching.