Danny Hoshino delivers a stunning debut with his single, “Doubt,” released in November. The track is Hoshino’s first release under his indie-folk solo project, Dan Ho!, following his work in former band the Novel Ideas.
“Doubt” explores Hoshino’s experiences with anxiety and how it can be affected by the ebb and flow of life. The song showcases Hoshino’s soulful voice, enhanced by the backing vocals of local singer/songwriter Hayley Sabella. His work on the pedal steel guitar makes for a wonderfully warm country folk song. Though he reports many influences — from Jackson Browne and Little Feat to The Novel Ideas — Hoshino establishes himself as a strong solo artist with a distinct sound.
“This is my first foray into leading a solo project, after playing in a collaborative band for many years,” he tells me. “There’s definitely been a learning curve when it comes to writing and arranging without the constant feedback of other musicians. I did have help from my former bandmate Daniel Radin (of Future Teens and Lake St. Daniel) engineered and produced these new songs and helped me get over the hump to finally complete them.”
With Hoshino’s solo work also comes increased self-reflection in his songwriting.
“Thematically, I’m hoping to move away from purely singing about love and relationships and to focusing more on self-reflection, even if there are still some love-lost elements to the lyrics,” he says.
Dan Ho! plans to release two more singles in the new year, and I can’t wait to hear him further establish himself as a local artist to watch.
