Pete Astor

Over the course of Peter Astor's career in indie pop, the singer/songwriter has been responsible for some of the genre's landmarks and he continues to make thoughtful, melodically rich albums. Early bands the Loft and Weather Prophets delivered jangling indie pop while his more experimental projects (the instrumental Ellis Island Sound and electronic-based Wisdom of Harry) showed his sonic range. His solo career got off to a fine start in the early '90s with a string of insightful, gently sung albums. When he returned to that format in the 2010s, Astor picked up right where he left off on albums (2016's Spilt Milk and 2022's Time on Earth) that were rich and rewarding, while showing off the accumulated wisdom he had earned along the way. This factor come to the fore on 2024's Tall Stories & New Religions, where he revisits songs from throughout his career in intimate fashion.