Hailing from Nashville, Tenn.’s rollicking roots-rock scene, Tristen has established herself as a prolific, versatile musician over the past decade, be it by touring in Jenny Lewis’s Voyager-era band, collaborating and touring with artists like Vanessa Carlton and Robyn Hitchcock, or releasing three solo albums to critical acclaim. Her folk-oriented 2011 debut Charlatans at the Garden Gate earned her praise as “Nashville’s best-kept secret” (The Boston Globe), while 2013’s CAVES, co-produced by Stephen Hague, saw her recast as a hypnotic “synth pop siren” (SPIN). Her most recent album, Sneaker Waves, was released via Modern Outsider in 2017; Rolling Stone described it as having “Nilsson-worthy power balladry,” while NPR’s Ann Powers called it “bursting with great melodies and hooky arrangements that tickle the ear and won’t leave your brain alone.” A serenade with a bite, Tristen's live band features her husband and collaborator, Buddy Hughen — who co-produced Sneaker Waves — on shredding electric guitar, as well as rotating cast of Nashville's finest as her rhythm section.
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“Tristen and Buddy (Hughen) have created a subtle masterwork worthy of comparisons to Elvis Costello’s Imperial Bedroom or The Voyager by Jenny Lewis, who took Tristen on her latest tour.”
“She flaunts a philosophy major’s palette amidst echoes of vintage rockabilly and girl group pop...”
“Sneaker Waves is easy listening: Sunny LA-garage rock gently bumps into feathery-rock pop; synths and the Nashville-based singer filigree vocal add welcome twinkle, as does her knack for penning an infectious hook.”
“Now, the Nashville-based musician makes her own pure pop music out of carefully constructed layers and lyrics that are oh so intricately knotted together. Her third album, (Sneaker Waves is) filled with exceptional melodies and beguiling stories.”
“A respected member of Nashville’s indie pop and rock scene...Gaspadarek is both artful and exacting about her craft. She knows what it takes to transform straightforward gestures into something deeper.”
“[CAVES] cranks up the complexity, craft and drama; mixing futuristic moments with quirky lullabies and the same biting tongue, sacrificing folk references for ‘80s touch points like New Order and even experimental outfits like Dirty Projectors.”