Soundpost Sessions LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: Sturtz w/ Holly Lovell

Sturtz

NPR’s All Songs Considered described Sturtz as “a reassuring breath of fresh air that pulls me back to simpler times." The quartet – Andrew Sturtz [vocals, guitar], Courtlyn Carpenter [cello, harmonies], Will Kuepper [bass, piano, harmonies], and Jim Herlihy [banjo, electric guitar, harmonies] - is serene and folksy, with melodic vocals soaring over the lower string instrumentals. Sturtz just released their second studio album, Hyacinth, in September 2024 and they're excited to tour on this album for the next year. When they’re not playing music, you’ll probably find them milling flour, gardening, roasting coffee, or fine-tuning their photography skills.

Holly Lovell

Holly Lovell is an indie singer-songwriter whose music “bridges the gap between Neil Young and Feist — beautiful and haunting, lyrically brilliant, with dreamy production.” (Indie Underrated)

A self-taught musician, Lovell was always drawn to the stage. After moving from Colorado to Australia as a kid, she found solace in music, teaching herself guitar.

Her early lyrics came from a place of wanting to ease the burden of pain she saw in those around her, taking on topics like miscarriage or loneliness. Her storytelling even then was deeply raw, emotional, and vulnerable. “It was heavy stuff, but I had an early fascination with the human condition and relationship dynamics, which still play a huge role in my writing,” she says. At 15, she won a competition that led to her performing on the Cayamo Music Cruise alongside Patty Griffin and Brandi Carlile, two of her biggest inspirations.

Since then, Lovell has been likened to artists like Maggie Rogers, Joni Mitchell, and early Billie Eilish for her vocals, personal lyrics, and atmospheric production. The Denver Post compares her vocals to “Ingrid Michaelson, but with far more gumption.”

Lovell moved back to the U.S. to pursue music in Denver, where she became part of the local music scene, playing venues, opening for The Fray and Philip Phillips, and releasing two EPs, The Illusion of Honesty and Still Frames. Critics describe her music as a blend of folk and rock with a unique edge: “Lovell’s style of folk music is also infused with a slight rock edge, differentiating her from the massive pool of female singer-songwriters.” (AXS.com)

Lovell’s new album, Hello Chelsea, is deeply personal but also broadly relatable — a love note to everyone affected by addiction and grief, and a breakup letter to New York City.

The album draws inspiration from Lovell’s complicated relationship with her uncle, who lived in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood and struggled with addiction. “I started writing and ‘I love you, but I hate what you do to me’ came out,” says Lovell. “That line eventually became part of a song, and that song became an album about addiction, grief, family history, and the healing journey.”

The recording process was therapeutic. Lovell, her husband, and their toddler outfitted an old school bus into a mobile home and made a pilgrimage from their home in Denver to the woods of Eau Claire, Wisconsin to record at ‘hive.’, studio of producer and Grammy-winner, Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens), who told media, “It feels like a very important record to me. It has been my privilege and my honor to have the trust and exploration in working with Holly.”

The sessions were intimate and organic—Lovell and her team spent weeks in the woods, bonding through outdoor acoustic sessions, foraging for mushrooms, and sharing family-style meals. That feeling of connection and trust shines through in the music and the result is an honest album that embraces imperfection. “We chose to leave the breaths and the floor creaks in the recordings, our humanity, because that's what this album is all about,” she says.Rural Wisconsin may seem like an odd place to make an album about New York City, but it made perfect sense to Lovell. “The contrast of the quiet of the Wisconsin woods to the noise of New York City was important to me. The experience of making this album was healing, being there in the woods to lay down my grief and my family’s story.”With Hello Chelsea, Lovell continues to build on the unique blend of introspective lyricism and evocative sound that has defined her career so far. Available Feb. 7, 2025, it showcases Lovell’s emotional depth and vulnerability, and serves as a testament to her unflinching commitment to authenticity and musical evolution.

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