Cancel Winter

Cancel Winter’s debut album might be the result of a bad situation, but it manages to take a topic as frustrating as a long, drawn out relationship and turn it into a catchy and memorable collection of indie rock songs. Liestillnow is the brainchild of Nate Kreiswirth, and you can hear it in his aching — but not whiny — voice throughout the album. The addition of strings in opener "Waking Up” gives even more depth to an already lush-sounding mix of vocals and guitar melodies, but with a simplicity that doesn’t make it sound contrived. And when everything on "Missing” appears to be stripped away except for Kreiswirth’s voice and a guitar, he surprises you by seamlessly building the song up into full-band mode, complete with synths and drums. Liestillnow is a beautifully crafted album that ebbs and flows like every collection of songs should.