When Westerman re-emerged with “Confirmation” earlier in 2018, after a couple years of more explicitly folk-oriented material, it was the kind of single that immediately suggested the real introduction of a special, idiosyncratic songwriter. Since then, each subsequent Westerman release has continued to stoke that sense that he’s one of the more promising young artists to garner buzz this year. We named him an Artist To Watch and ranked the “Confirmation” B-side “I Turned Away” as one of our favorite songs of that week. Westerman offered a proper follow-up to “Confirmation” in the form of another addicting single called “Edison,” which in turn got a great remix courtesy of Ross From Friends. Now Westerman’s back with another new one, a B-side to “Edison” titled “Easy Money.”

True to the enigmatic quality of his music, it seems Westerman often starts trying to write from one place and yet finds himself in an unexpected destination. Here’s what he had to say about the genesis of his latest track:

I started out writing a love song, then it sort of morphed into more of a conversation. It’s a conversation I had many times over with someone I care about a lot. The subject matter is something I was thinking about too often. I wanted to retain a sense of romance in the music as counterpoint to where lyrics ended up, and I tried to make it so the voice seems float within the music. The characters existing in a state of transience.

A continuation of his collaborations with the producer Bullion, “Easy Money” extends the aesthetic territory of Westerman’s other 2018 releases. It’s a slick-yet-sinuous, gooey-yet-gleaming brand of art-pop, full of synths and vocals and guitars intersecting in weird places. “Easy Money” doesn’t have quite the same ingenious melodic turns as “Confirmation” and “Edison,” but it’s still a fine example of Westerman’s sharp ear, with evocative moments like the fuzzed-out, distant guitar breaks.

It appears that Westerman’s steady trickle of single compositions may soon cohere into larger projects. There’s promise of a new EP this fall, with an album to follow next year. There seems to be a lot of momentum in the world of Westerman in general, with him also announcing tour dates opening for Dirty Projectors as well as his first stateside gigs. For now, check out “Easy Money” below.

https://soundcloud.com/westermanmusicuk/easy-money/s-vwWwE

TOUR DATES:

07/07 – The National Forest, UK @ Timber Fest
07/14 – Suffolk, UK @ Latitude Festival
07/22 – Hyères, France @ Midi Festival
08/14 – Berlin, Germany @ Heimathafen*
08/15 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso Noord*
08/18 – Brecon Beacons, UK @ Green Man Festival
08/19 – Glasgow, UK @ The Art School*
08/20 – Leeds, UK @ Uni Riley Smith Hall*
08/21 – London,UK @ Village Underground*
08/22 – London,UK @ Village Underground*
08/30 – Cologne, Germany @ C/O Pop
09/19 – 09/22 Hamburg, Germany @ Reeperbahn Festival
10/03 – Dublin, Ireland @ Whelan’s
10/10 – Oxford, UK @ The Cellar Bar
10/11 – Southampton, UK @ Heartbreakers
10/12 – Bristol, UK @ The Crofters Rights
10/13 – Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach
10/16 – Leeds, UK @ Hyde Park Book Club
10/17 – Manchester, UK @ Now Wave Venue
10/18 – London, UK @ Oslo
10/31 – Gent, Belguim @ Trefunt
11/01 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Sugarfactory
11/02 – Berlin, Germany @ Maze
11/01 – 11/03 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Noisey Festival
11/27 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere
11/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Moroccan Lounge

* – w/ Dirty Projectors

“Easy Money” is out now via Blue Flowers. The “Edison” and “Confirmation” singles will be out on vinyl on 8/17.