Daniel Hardin is a prolific singer/songwriter hailing from Athens, Georgia. His latest album, Memory Salesman I, is a short, poppy dive into the memories we cultivate and the fears we face. Fusing a blend of rock, folk, and pop with a muddy distortion from time to time, Hardin brings a unique indie offering that feels like it has no equal on the market. From the frantic opening of the title track to the laid-back, and yet unnerving, closing track, the listener is taken on a journey through the heights and depths of life.

Memory seems to be the main theme Hardin wants to work with. As noted, the title track opens the album with a Paul Simon-esque track that considers all the ways we make memories and put stock in them. While the rest of the album doesn't necessarily keep pumping up that theme explicitly, one can easily see how the record can be viewed through that lens. There are songs remembering the sweetness of love ("Home," "Just Beautiful"), while others recall times of personal struggle ("The Thief", "A Classic"). A couple songs even carry subtle spiritual memories in their words ("The Dead and Me," "At Any Given Time").

While the music is engaging and the themes are interesting, Hardin's true strength comes in his lyrical abilities. Consider the cleverness of the opening lines to "The Thief": "If comparison s the thief of' my joy/Then I'm an unlocked car/The keys are in the ignition/Pop the trunk, there s my guitar/There's '100 on the dash/Leather seats, air conditioned/And enough gas in the tank/For him to make it to Richmond." The metaphor is striking from the first listen, and Hardin only continues with other engaging pictures as the song progresses. This happens throughout Memory Salesman I. "The Dead and Me" feature allusions to Jacob wrestling the angel; "A Classic" wrestles with writing the next hit song; "Just Beautiful" is deceptively simplistic, and yet contains memorable poetic flourishes. For lovers of good lyrics, Hardin's album is a feast.

Memory Salesman I is a strong offering from start to finish. Some of the energy falls off a little during the final three tracks (with "The Ballad of Puckerlip Leroy" being an odd choice to close on). Still, Daniel Hardin's latest full-length feature is an indie gem that many will likely miss. There's poetry in the words, great guitar work in the music, and an overall smoothness in how the record flows. If you missed it when it came out earlier in the year, do yourself a favor and catch up on it now.

- Review date: 12/27/24, written by John Underdown of Jesusfreakhideout.com

Record Label: None
Album length: 10 tracks: 33 minutes, 42 seconds
Street Date: March 22, 2024
Buy It: Amazon Music

1. Memory Salesman (3:55)
2. The Dead and Me (2:37)
3. The Thief (2:40)
4. Just Beautiful (3:21)
5. A Classic (4:28)
6. Home (3:01)
7. At Any Given Time (feat. Sam Bowman) (4:11)
8. Saturday in the Park (4:01)
9. Cold Brew (2:41)
10. The Ballad of Puckerlip Leroy (2:49)