“HEAR YOUR HEART” BY TOM PEREGRINE

On his YouTube channel, Tom Peregrine has a video of himself performing a cover of The Tallest Man on Earth’s “To Just Grow Away”. You can see the similarities between the two artists just from a cursory listen; both are indie folk singers from Europe (The Tallest Man on Earth’s Kristian Matsson from Sweden, Tom Peregrine from Germany) who affect their voices to

imitate their influences. But while Matsson’s Dylan-esque rasp retained some Scandinavian pronunciation, Peregrine has assimilated more thoroughly. There’s very little that’s noticeably Teutonic about his voice, an earnest croak that would sound right at home at any given Brooklyn coffee shop.

“Hear Your Heart”, one of his more recent songs, would fit right in as well. It’s a sparse folk ballad, occasional guitar strums serving as a guide for Peregrine’s voice, as well as the reverb-laden backing vocals. There are points when the understated starts to feel undercooked, and I can’t help but wonder how it would sound with some more focused lyrics or a more varied

sonic palette, but there’s a pleasant vibe to the whole thing that makes it easy to forgive. The video opens with a shot out a window on a lovely day, birds chirping and a gentle breeze blowing; “Hear Your Heart” sounds good in that sort of environment, amiably drifting through an open window like motes of dust.