Among the music of contemporary indie singer-songwriters, there's no mistaking that of Bill Callahan. His voice and his sparse songs are deep and unhurried, low and slow. They take their time, rolling meditatively along like tumbleweeds under open Western skies, analogous to the lyrical imagery that often weaves through them. Originally known as "Smog," and now as "Drag City," Callahan has been making music for well over four decades, and can be considered one of the pioneering members of the experimental lofi movement, alongside other well known artists like Beck and the Strokes. Back in January, he released the single "Porcupine Tattoo" with Miley Cyrus's younger sister Noah, who is also an alternative country and pop musician herself. Though Callahan's discography hasn't topped any global charts, it has certainly been prolific; as Smog, he had released 14 full-length albums from 1990 to 2005, and then under his own name he released another 10 from 2007 to 2024. He has also authored two books; Letters to Emma Bowlcut is an epistolary novel where an unnamed protagonist writes a series of letters to a woman he once saw at a party, highlighting concepts of limerence, day-to-day mundanity, and emotional turmoil. His other book, I Drive a Valence, is a collection of ink drawings by Callahan and lyrics spanning his first album as Smog in an almost Shel Silverstein-esque style. His song "Drover" features prominently on the final episode of Netflix's docuseries Wild Wild Country, and his cover of Kath Bloom's "The Breeze/My Baby Cries" gets a shining moment in the fifth episode from the third season of Sex Education. Starting in Kingston at Assembly on April 20, he will then embark on a world tour for his 2024 album, Resuscitate!
