2025

thank you | most music free | new tunes released

Yesterday, December 14, I turned 36 years old. Today, I very much feel it.

Me, the unkempt 36-year-old

This was a challenging year in many ways, especially from a professional standpoint. The nature of my day job requires me to respond to (and manage the fallout from) a daily torrent of chaos emanating from the White House. I knew this would be a hard year going in, but it proved even more taxing than I anticipated. The good news is that 2028 is inching closer - what I hope will mark the beginning of a slow return to decency and normalcy in our political environment, even if recovery happens on a generational timescale. For now, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that the next few years of work will remain complex, maddening, and demanding, and I’m doing my best to brace for that reality. And finally, yes…everything is expensive! SO expensive! The “cost of living” conversation is not abstract; it’s very real for me, and I know many of you are feeling it too.

All of that negativity said, and setting aside the political and economic backdrop, many things were genuinely good and wonderful this year - there was far more good than bad, really. It’s just easier to talk about the bad.

I leaned hard into noticing and appreciating small, daily joys. My twin girls turned two and are now confident little toddlers. My dog greets me each day as if I’ve been gone for a year. My wife supports me in more ways than I can fully articulate. They are truly the great joys of my life. I drank a lot of excellent coffee, read many great books, and listened to countless thoughtful, enriching conversations. I can say, without hesitation, that I feel smarter than I did a year ago.

Musically, it was also a meaningful, if slightly slow and tedious, year. I did not finish everything I started, and most days I felt a little frustrated with how little time I have available to work on my craft…but I really enjoyed the stuff I did find time for.

In case you missed them, I released two full‑length albums that I’m deeply proud of:

Signal (quiet details)

Soft Erasure (Fluid Audio)

I also released a commissioned piece and published my back catalog of previously subscriber‑only releases on my personal Bandcamp page.

Going forward, I’ve made all of the albums I directly control free or pay‑what‑you‑want for the indefinite future. There are a few releases tied to label pages that I can’t adjust, but everything I can make accessible, I have.

Additionally, I shared two longer tracks rescued from a previously completed album that I ultimately had to shelve for personal and complicated reasons. I still love that record, even if it wasn’t meant to exist in its original form. These two pieces felt worth saving, so I revisited them lightly and gave them a second lease on life. Maybe one day I’ll figure out how to share the rest of that story.

Lost tapes (self-released)

Thank you to everyone who has offered support, conversation, encouragement, friendship, and care this year. I’m grateful for each of you.

Looking ahead these next few weeks, I’m hoping to slow things down a bit: spend more time making music, and share more of both the work and the writing process here on Sound Methods in the coming year. Thanks for being here, and for continuing along this path with me.

All the best,

Andrew