3 am on a Sunday and I’m still wide awake my friends. Or at least it was when I wrote this. It's been the longest week and I’ve decided to do the most productive thing I can think of at this time…scroll TikTok till 5 am. A few minutes in and I stumble across Milwaukee born Los Angeles artist Felix Ames who just released his first song “Shoestring”

Using nonchalant guitar plucks and live drums as a canvas and easel Felix paints a vivid picture of an optimistic artist going through the lows of life that keep him from what he wants. Although the lyrics contain themes of uncertainty Felix’s vocal performance is the exact opposite. A confident blend that gently attaches itself to the production in a symbiotic way. 

At the time of writing, this Ames only has one song out. That's fine because I’m sure I’ve accounted for at least 137 of the streams on this one alone. “Shoestring” does make me wonder though. When an artist can hit a home run on the first swing of their first at-bat especially in a genre as challenging as Soul it's interesting to see what will follow. I’ll be honest though. Felix seems to be a breath of fresh air in the genre and I think he’ll rise easily, especially with the way he’s been able to amass over 100k followers on TikTok by essentially making different videos playing the same snippets of his song over and over. 

That's all for me, my friends. I have to find an empty barber chair and a new MacBook asap so while I go do that you should go stream “Shoestring” by Felix Ames.