CS Hellmann – Up Til Dawn (2023)
Known for his guitar wizardry and honest lyrics, singer-songwriter CS Hellmann can memorise listeners with his enchanting melodies. While he only began releasing solo material a few years ago (according to Spotify), Hellmann began his music career long before his first solo single.
As a child, Hellmann began playing the piano and eventually turned his interest to the guitar as a teenager. Being a loner guitar-playing teen, he was asked to join a high school band. The group started with school dances, bars and clubs, and eventually, they left Cincinnati for Chicago to pursue music full-time. Soon, his band found themselves performing at SXSW, selling out shows at The Metro, opening for bands like The Academy Is, and even making a record with producer Jim Wirt. While all this awesome stuff was happening, Hellmann suffered from burnout and left without any desire to make music. Yet, after the death of a friend, he picked up his notebooks and started writing songs again – we’re so glad he did.
Following his well-received single ‘Down The Hollow’, ‘Up Til Dawn’ is Hellmann’s first release in two years. Leaning toward the contemporary alternative rock tones of OneRepublic there is a modern-day feeling to ‘Up Til Dawn’. Yet, despite this modern-day rock tone, the single is riddled with nostalgic flair leaning toward the guitar mastery we hear from Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain. Pounding drums match powerful guitar licks in a harmonic flow of bluesy rock. Something fresh but familiar in its intimacy.
When listening to CS Hellmann, you will lose yourself in the kaleidoscopic melody; however, his lyrical content is as intoxicating. Veiled by the guitars and drums, Hellmann presents a melancholic despair with his gruff vocals. Living with bipolar disorder and going through depressive episodes, Hellmann draws from his experience of negative emotions creating an intensely intimate and personal tale in ‘Up Til Dawn’. Sincere, sentimental and tender, ‘Up Til Dawn’ captures the core of frustration, angst, anxiety and conflict in a harmonious, mellifluous way.
For more from CS Hellmann, check out his Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
