Only his second single, the new song “Buttons” from Hockitay sounds remarkably fresh, distinctive and individualistic.
Yes, there are some stylistic similarities between his work and acts like Father John Misty, The National, Pavement, Conor Oberst, Nick Cave and the dusty, earnest charm of veteran troubadour Willy Mason. But we would also suggest that the influence of quirkier songwriters like Daniel Johnston, Jeffrey Lewis and Cameron Winter are also lurking somewhere under the surface. Ironically, the resulting combination of all these components is something that feels quite unlike anything else.
Born in Guatemala but now based in Montreal, we would suggest that the significance of Hockitay’s many and varied influences – both musically and otherwise – cannot be overstated.
Lyrically, Buttons is based on our tragic growing reliance on AI. It holds a mirror up to our diminishing society whilst wondering what remains of our true selves in an increasingly automated and worryingly artificial world.
Hot off the success of his break out debut single over/over which earned support from the likes of Stereogum and The Line of Best Fit alongside 11(!) Spotify editorial placements, including New Music Friday and RADAR Canada, it sounds like Hockitay is on to another winner. Take a look at the video for “Buttons” below.
Written by Kinda Grizzly
