“Creampuff” – Soltero
“Creampuff” lopes along with an attractive offhandedness; the 18 or so seconds the song takes to settle into its spangly, lo-fi groove is a good indication of how simultaneously casual and purposeful things are going to be here. Tim Howard, Soltero’s front man and general mastermind, sings with a waver that is not to be corrected or denied; I think he skates pretty close to losing pitch here and there as well, although my ear isn’t perfect on the one hand so I can’t be sure, and on the other hand I enjoy loose, human voices like this, so the wavery voice and pitch are fine by me. Vocal perfectionists be warned.
In any case, “Creampuff” is homey and unhurried, positioning sneaky-strong melodies on top of a twangy, off-kilter accompaniment–all instruments, it should be noted, played by Howard. Structurally, the song is an amiable parade of interrelated sections; how much are repeats and how much are different iterations–never mind what’s a verse and what’s a chorus and hey is that a bridge in there too?–is difficult to work out without a lot of careful listening, but that itself is part of the charm. The overall effect is a friendly musical saunter–until, that is, the song crosses paths with an unexpected gong and muted alarms around 3:49. A tremulous, winding-down coda ensues, by the end rendering the bulk of “Creampuff” something of a dimly remembered dream. My immediate inclination is to hit the play button again.
Tim Howard is an American who has been living in Germany since 2018. “Creampuff” is the first English-language song he’s recorded since 2017. Soltero through its extended lifetime has been both a band and a solo project for Howard. This is now the fifth time Soltero has been featured here, dating all the way back to 2004; see the Artist Index for details.
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