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Photographs of Other People

There’s an old joke from when Baywatch & Knight Rider star David Hasselhoff’s career was floundering stateside that at least he was still a massive sensation in Germany. Seattle spitter Nick Weaver has a low profile on the local scene but is an equally big success in Germany. Indeed, last fall he mounted a four-city tour of that country, hitting Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. Before that, he released Photographs of Other People, a five-song EP about mental health and self-care, especially in the face of each day’s anxiety-inducing news cycles, and the constant barrage of upset from the White House, gun violence, denial of health care, and so on. “Stephen King couldn’t write a scarier media day,” he raps on floor-shaking centerpiece “Soundbyte.” His earnest consideration of social issues can’t help but draw comparisons to Macklemore, especially backed with polished, hook-filled production, often punctuated with horns. Some moments I love on this EP: the acapella blast at the end of “What You Doin These Days?”, the chorus on “Roll,” where Nick shows us he can sing, too, and the indietronica-inspired “I Might See.” With songs like these, it’s no wonder this guy is big overseas. Time to catch up, Seattle.

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