Essentially the solo project of Seattle-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Paul Hiraga, Downpilot released several critically lauded albums in the U.S. in the mid-2000s before finding European success in the early 2010s recording for Germany's Tapete Records. On albums like 2011's New Great Lakes and 2015's Radio Ghost, Downpilot's graceful, languid music is informed by elements of folk, slowcore, and modern psychedelia, with Hiraga's personal but impressionistic lyrics reinforced by calm yet powerful soundscapes. He returned in 2023 with The Forecast, a tightly crafted set with a ruminative tone.