“We used to share a shadow, back before it all went dark,” Filmore begins on the expressive “About You,” the first of four (well, five, if you’re listening closely) demos the Missouri native quietly released last week. The song, a stripped and honest look at a relationship gone, is reminiscent of Sam Hunt’s raw New Year confession, “Drinking Too Much.” “I keep talking to myself – and everyone else – about you,” Filmore sings in the chorus. Yes, the song has Sam Hunt vibes, but the sparse piano and soaring falsetto will appeal to fans of artists like The 1975 as well.
The four-pack, plus a bonus fifth track “Personal” that appears at the tail end of “Didn’t Get It Right,” dance from honest looks at relationships to groove-heavy, synth-y summer jams like “Speed Limit.” Filmore’s hometown of Wildwood also gets some love with an anthemic mid-tempo that throws in some real – if not glamorous – references: “it’s a red minivan, making out in the back / always falling in and out of love.”
Throughout, Filmore demonstrates his dexterity – vocally, lyrically, sonically – on a set of songs that groove at the surface and connect beneath. Listen: