Tyson Motsenbocker

Tyson Motsenbocker set out in 2013 on a 40-day trek that traced nearly 600 miles up the California coast to honor the memory of his mother, who had died not long before. By the time he reached San Francisco, the observations and reflections gathered along the way supplied the substance for his first full-length album. Earlier, in 2010, he had issued his debut EP, Until It Lands, a spare lo-fi set whose songs displayed raw emotional openness, a gift for narrative, and a vocal clarity that recalled Sufjan Stevens, Conor Oberst, and Ben Gibbard. His mother’s death came after the release of the follow-up EP, Rivers and Roads. The coastal journey helped him recover a sense of faith and a measure of calm, both of which he channeled into the debut LP, Letters to Lost Loves (Tooth & Nail). Plaintive piano, open textures, and pastoral guitar framed lyrics steeped in reflection and melancholy, while a companion volume of short stories accompanied the bittersweet collection, which was scheduled to appear in March 2016.