Single | Brett Altman – Benches in the Park (feat. Sam de Jesus)

Brett Altman is the folk-pop pride of the Northeast, producing blues-influenced acoustipop tunes from his residence in Hoboken. Sam de Jesus, meanwhile, kicks it out in Florida as their musical wunderkind. Her gorgeous pipes and vibrant energy inundate ethereal pop tunes like lightning in a bottle, time and again. Ultimately, it isn’t a wonder why she’s found success as a rising artist on TikTok, among other platforms.

It was on TikTok that Altman and de Jesus met; comments on one another’s videos would lead to mutual follows, which would eventually lead to a collaboration! De Jesus features on one of Altman’s latest tunes, ‘Benches in the Park’. She commands its second verse, and the two’s voices blend wonderfully from therein. Lyrically, it’s atypical to a traditional love song with Altman waxing on reality—even if this relationship doesn’t last, it means something. This romance can be commemorated to by the two individuals in question writing their names on—you guessed it—’Benches in the Park’. Musically, it features pleasant folk tones in the light crunch of its guitar melodies, and backing harmonies recall slightly the layers of production on early Bon Iver; although, it’s more Mayer or Mraz in its commercial appeal.

Altman and de Jesus alike are seeing, or have seen, newer releases. Check out the former’s “Beauty”, which has just released, or the latter’s ‘eyes talk too’ that’s out this Friday.

Words by: Jonathan Frahm