Artist To Watch: SPELLS - Listen! It's Vetrano

It’s Fall, which means the trees are turning deep shades of reds and oranges and the air is crisp and cool. But Fall also means that new music is dropping just as quickly as the leaves. Some of the year’s biggest and most anticipated releases of the year make their debut during the colder months, (see Coldplay, Ryan Adams, Kelly Clarkson, etc.) and in the midst of all that music, it’s rare that an undiscovered emerging talent makes its way onto Listen! It’s Vetrano. But ever since I first heard SPELLS in the late summer, I haven’t been able to stop listening to his captivating debut EP Escapist. A unique blend of some of the most relevant sounds in music at the moment and making bold stylistic choices with the likeness of Radiohead and St. Vincent, this indie-eloctro rocker is poised for greatness in the coming year.

Most of my readers will know that I started working with Trevor Tillery (SPELLS) shortly after hearing his music, so I may be a little biased when it comes to this introduction. But nevertheless, his music is a must for my readers because, as you should be well aware, I would never put my stamp of approval on anything but great. And on the first effort from the former frontman of RAINING AND OK, Tillery nailed it. Right from the symphonic opening track “Arella,” it’s clear that Tillery is setting out to capture the attention of the listener on Escapist. And with his talented range – hitting a falsetto few could reach in his genre – and bold take on lyrical content, it’s no wonder the singer has earned the attention of some of the biggest stages in Nashville, as well.

Tillery spent most of the late summer, after the EP’s release, working the Nashville scene, performing on the main stage at Musicians Corner and kicking-off Foster The People’s set at the SoundLand festival. Tillery was also named one the best new emerging acts by Brite Revolution and Brite magazine, where he was featured alongside Fitz & the Tantrums, Ellie Goulding, David Gray, The Avett Brothers and more.

And just when I thought it was time to hang up the singer’s debut and give some of the new music releases a listen, SPELLS released his Christmas single “The Winter’s Chill”. When asked about the somber holiday tune, Trevor said:

“I wrote “The Winter’s Chill” just before last Christmas of 2010. Thinking a lot about how the Christmas season often brings a lot of stress … on top of getting swarmed by all of the Christmas marketing that can totally wreck what this time of year is all about. At the time I was really feeling all of that and I know there [are] people that feel the same, so I wanted to take a different approach. It also fits the whole Escapist theme – escapinf from the material world and finding a meaning to life.”

Listen to the track below and get it, as well as his entire EP, on iTunes now.

For more on SPELLS, visit spellsofficial.com

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