Emerging artist David Hobbes showcases his clever and absorbing songwriting on new debut album Searching for a Home
Since his emergence towards the end of 2023, emerging singer-songwriter David Hobbes has been steadily releasing singles that would eventually form part of his debut album Searching for a Home, a collection of tracks that document the artist’s evolution as a songwriter and artist, while addressing some of the challenges and pitfalls of being human.
The first track on the album is ‘We Are Wild’, a track that immediately showcases the deftness and charm of the artist’s distinctive sound, intense and often atmospheric but with a nostalgic, catchy disposition that feels engrossing and immersive, melding aspects of folk and rock to build a sound that feels endearing and thoughtful throughout the track and the album on the whole.
David is somebody who considers himself a storyteller first and foremost, and that is something that is evidently apparent on the albums title track ‘Searching for a Home’, a really thoughtful and alluring track that sees the artist looking for comfort in life and somewhere to truly feel content and satisfied. The artist’s picturesque lyrics and the little subtleties in the guitars and sound make for some really fun moments here, and a track that continues to endear you to the artist as a listener.
‘Measure of Degree’ follows, the first track that the artist ever released and one that showcases a bit more of an emphatic side to the artist’s sound, delving into the different ways that people measure things like intelligence and the worth of people depending on their perspective, making for a thought-provoking and fun exploration of differing views that has a really nice guitar-driven feel to it.
The opening pianos of ‘Fields of Blue’ let us know that we’ve veered into ballad territory, and that David is again showcasing more of the range and breadth of his sound and immaculately polished style, just as compelling in this stripped-back fashion than on more fully-formed showcases of his sound. Again, his personable charm and appeal as a songwriter shine through, this time exploring a short lived love that had a profound impact on those involved.
From the wistful ‘Lulu Left Town’ to the emotional pianos of ‘When You Need a Hand’ the album continues to see the artist innovating and expanding upon his sound while weaving these narratives that lull you in and engross you, delving into themes like love, life and all of its trials and tribulations, with some wholesome and light while others delve into darker territory.
This darker territory is explored on ‘Heat of the Moment’, an intense track that delves into the theme of infidelity and a character unable to control his impulses, rallying from bad decision to bad decision, consumed with regret while trying to hide the truth from his adoring wife. This makes for one of the album’s most captivating tracks, unfurling like a trainwreck that you can’t seem to look away from as things get progressively more unravelled until it reaches a shocking conclusion.
‘Beautiful Bee’ and ‘Water Gone By’ are the final tracks on the album and two previous singles from the artist that have already won over the love and support of so many listeners and with good reason, showcasing the most easygoing and affable side of his sound and bringing it together with a sense of warmth and hopeful appeal that resonates with listeners in such an effortless way.
Overall, the album is really well put together and moving collection of tracks that showcase the sheer range that the artist possesses and the intoxicating and stirring narratives that he can put together, conveying a plethora of different emotions and tones and keeping the listeners on board every step of the way. David Hobbes may be a fairly new name in the modern music scene, but his distinctive style and knack for crafting catchy and unforgettable tracks leaves him in good stead to leave a lasting mark on everyone that hears his sounds.
