Louisville native, weird troubadour, and man of many lives Andrew Rinehart is currently busy whittling away at his next major release in private. Fortunately, Andrew has popped aboveground long enough to grace us with “Protect,” which we assume is a preview of what’s to come, but for the time being is simply a great single that suggests Rinehart aiming himself toward new musical territory.
Working off a key assist from fellow Kentuckian SEE TAI on production, “Protect” leans away a bit from the loose rock-based explorations Rinehart has released in the past (such as can be heard on his very good 2015 album Nothing/Everything). In its place, SEE TAI calls up a light pop haze that suits Rinehart’s voice surprisingly perfectly, leading to one of the dreamiest, loveliest tracks he has released.
As the artist himself explains, the song was written a little over two years ago “as a kind of protection spell against sociopaths” — perhaps a timely coincidence. In any case, the healing energy is certainly present, so keep this one on a string around your neck and keep the bad spirits at bay.
Tiny Mix Tapes is happy to premiere “Protect,” which you may listen to right here. Details on any forthcoming releases from Rinehart are yet to surface, so keep your eyes peeled.
More about: Andrew Rinehart
