An album 2 years in the making, This Too Will Pass represents an
emotionally intense amalgam of anxiety, isolation, and a series
of transient experiences gathered over this turbulent era. It follows
artist Hrishikesh Hirway through several relationships and residences;
a break-up in Los Angeles following his last album, an uncle’s
divorce in India severing a long year of writer’s block, a
year of solitude spent crafting new material in his childhood home
now vacant, and various stints on friends’ couches and apartments
taking him from Los Angeles to Rhode Island. This Too Will Pass
is a cathartic journey examining the depths of these experiences,
melding a vast array of electronic and organic instruments that
often defy conventional recognition with powerful songwriting, in
effect creating a cohesive beauty that beckons the listener to become
part of each song.
Born and raised in Peabody, Massachusetts to Indian parents, Hrishikesh
Hirway (pronounced “rishie-kaysh”) began performing
as The One AM Radio in October 1998 in New Haven, Connecticut, a
junior at Yale at the time. Following a gig supporting a solo Ted
Leo that sparked a collaboration between the two, The One AM Radio
released a split 7” with Ted Leo that laid the foundation
for the future of his musical endeavors. Originally performing solo
with an acoustic guitar and a drum loop backing him, Hrishikesh
gradually began expanding his repertoire in 2000 by including taped
drum loops in his compositions and eventually recording and editing
his own beats via the use of live drums and his computer. Currently,
The One AM Radio performs live with a setup consisting of Hrishikesh
on guitar, vocals, and laptop duties accompanied by an upright bassist,
second guitarist, a french horn player, and a cellist.
This Too Will Pass, The One AM Radio’s third full-length LP
follows a handful of critically acclaimed EPs and full-length records
including 2004’s A Name Writ In Water (receiving an 8.1 rating
on Pitchfork) and his 2002 debut album The Hum of Electric Air!.
This album features Hrishikesh on guitar, cello, drums and drum
programming with a supporting cast of Geeta Abad (violin), Lara
Cushing (cello), Daedelus (bass clarinet), Paul Findlen (upright
bass), Forbes Graham of Kayo Dot (trumpet), Cassandra Lomas (trombone),
Badgie Miller (french horn), and Jane Yakowitz (violin and cello).