“Smoker’s Cough (Afterword)” is the latest single by AOUN, a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter. It’s his first track in 2024 that serves as an adequate follow-up to “Kangaroos,” another excellent single released last year. It’s also good to mention this song also announces his upcoming full-length album. AOUN structured his album as a storybook in which “Smoker’s Cough (Afterword)” acts as the final song reflecting on the aftermath and feelings of loneliness. Soundwise, the artist combines the singer-songwriter aesthetics with some of the finest properties borrowed from indie folk, alt-rock, and acoustic rock. He used all these additional elements as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details that unquestionably uplift his composition on an entirely new level, while he remains loyal to the primary sonic direction. Therefore, these experimentations with additional styles resulted in a mesmerizing number that will appeal to all indie folk fans and beyond.
As soon as you press play, you’ll notice that AOUN solely relies upon vocals and acoustic guitars. His vocal performance resonates with sincerity, confidence, emotiveness, and power from scratch to finish, while the perfect balance between low, mid, and high notes emphasizes all the segments and instrumentations. AOUN knows how to deliver raw emotion and vulnerability through cleverly arranged vocal harmonies, which also perfectly match with flawlessly performed chord progressions. The acoustic guitar serves as a more than necessary backdrop for all his vocal maneuvers. This instrument is always a perfect choice for indie folk, alt-folk, or singer-songwriter music, but “Smoker’s Cough (Afterword)” resonates better than any other song in the same genre. You’ll notice that AOUN performs his music straight from the heart, leaving a permanent mark on the listener. Artists like him are a rarity nowadays, and the rich and luxurious ambiance achieved with just his voice and acoustic guitar vividly showcase all his experience, knowledge, skills, and talent.
It’s also good to mention that besides high-quality sound that meets all the trends in contemporary music production, “Smoker’s Cough (Afterword)” also shines with a touch of DIY production. You’ll get the impression that he recorded it as a demo, but that’s not the case. AOUN invested heart and soul into this composition, and his efforts resulted in a catchy, profoundly detailed, mesmerizing track that will quickly become a staple on so many indie playlists. You should put this track on your radar as soon as possible. The single is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!
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