Gregor McEwan

A wake-up call for anyone who still refuses to take German-born, English-language artists seriously. Oh so simple, oh so moronic, oh so good. Gregor McEwan was born Hagen Siems in the idyllic Haltern am See. Maybe that's why he felt drawn to Berlin and Hamburg to write and record his debut album. Houses And Homes is far more than a collection of songs. Gregor McEwan has created an album that feels like a good story; the song sketches he carried around in his head for years are here finally transformed into the paintings they always promised to be. Recorded by respected musicians including Tess Wiley, Ruby Hartbrich, Markus Surmann, Cyprian Piskurek, Patrick Scheipers and Jonas Künne, the album was produced with Dinesh Ketelsen and showcases his knack for presenting artists and songs in the right light to make them shine. Houses And Homes sees Gregor McEwan singing and writing about the big-time topics: love, life, home. His music sounds and feels like an autumn bruised by wind, rain and melancholy. But look carefully, and you can always find warm rays of sunshine. In a way it's his sad songs that fill you with courage, and the bright ones that make your hair stand on end. Beneath the flowers in his songs, there are hidden cannons. A smile here and a teardrop there. The artist himself would probably prefer this press release to remain unread. Especially if that would mean you finishing your day with a good glass of wine, a good pair of headphones and this wonderful debut album. Because Houses And Homes is the right soundtrack for any - and every - day.