THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Vermont singer-songwriter Justin Levinson’s new album Collamer Circle is his fifth full-length and first since his return from a four-year stint in Los Angeles.
Joining forces with fellow Vermont songsmith Ben Patton, the project marks the first official collaboration between the two award-winning singer-songwriters, strengthening a musical bond that dates back to the duo’s high school years. Patton, a critically-lauded musician in his own right with 12 albums under his belt, is a co-writer on most of Collamer Circle’s songs. The partnership seems only natural, given their similar upbringing, with both the duo’s fathers (Bob Levinson and Will Patton, respectively) constantly on the road or in the studio.
The pair’s interest in and encouragement of each other’s musical trajectories led Levinson to reach out to Patton in late 2019 — right as Covid was starting to ramp up — and proposing a weekly co-writing session. With the goal of keeping each other’s creative fires lit amid the isolation and uncertainty produced by the pandemic, Levinson described the sessions as “profoundly therapeutic and reflective. We were finishing each other’s musical sentences, while also pushing each other to think outside the box.”
This collaboration formed the groundwork for several of the songs on Collamer Circle, which tackles themes ranging from the complicated side of relationships (Burn Your Whole World, Madeline, For the Win), importance of self-awareness (I Wasn’t Capable, Then and There), and readiness to accept love (She Spreads Sunshine, Lead Me to You).
The record is tied together by Justin and Ben’s mutual knack for melodic hooks, strong harmonies, and ambitious musical arrangements, represented in the upbeat power pop and emotionally charged ballads that have always been present in the duo’s respective song catalogs. In addition to his lyrical contributions, Patton shares co-producing and engineering duties with Adam Popick, another longtime collaborator of Levinson’s. At the helm for mixing and mastering is studio wiz and 8084 frontman André Maquera.”
