Elijah Wolf's 'track star' Turns Catskills Ennui Into Gorgeous Small-Town Poetry
Elijah Wolf announced track star and released it in the same week, a surprise ten-track record built around “mini conflicts of small-town life” in his native Catskills. He made it with Felix Walworth (Told Slant, Florist) behind the board and additional contributions from h. pruz, and the whole thing plays like someone who’s catalogued every inch of his hometown and still can’t decide if he’s grateful or haunted by it.
The Sonic Breakdown
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: Walworth’s touch keeps the bottom soft-focus and upright-bass-adjacent even when the arrangements lean electric, giving the record a warmth that never tips into syrup.
The Spatial Dynamics: Nothing here is rushed or over-polished. Acoustic guitar sits dry and close-mic’d while atmospheric touches drift in from what sounds like the next room over, like catching someone’s practice session through a screen door.
Standout Performance
Wolf’s voice is the MVP, not because it’s flashy — it isn’t — but because of how much restraint it shows. He sings about “high-school athletes, dive bars, petrol stations” with a plainspoken ache that never curdles into cynicism.
Why It’s Certified
Wolf built his own label, Mtn Laurel Recording Co., after burning out on full-time musicianship, and track star plays like the sound of someone remembering why they loved this in the first place. Lead single “you, forever” turns a small gesture of commitment into something enormous; “texaco lights” is the most vivid scene-setting on the record, all sodium-lamp glow and Friday-night restlessness; closer-leaning “concrete” proves he hasn’t lost his teeth even at his most tender. Community got him here. It shows. Certified great.