Kerrin Connolly Photo credit: Jenna Connolly
As a true DIY artist, Simpleton was self-produced by the artist Kerrin Connolly, as they wrote, recorded, and mixed the album in their home studio. Their friend and fellow musician Ellis Piper recorded Connolly’s string arrangements on viola, and Elaine Rasnake at Daughterboard Audio did the mastering, with artist John Green bringing their album art concept to life.
Connolly’s approach to songwriting went viral on the same internet that gives them such anxiety and existential dread, as their 2020 song, “Fly in My Room,” amassed over two million streams on Spotify. In 2016, their music career was essentially launched by a unique Young The Giant cover video she posted on YouTube, which was shared on Reddit and gained 300,000+ views and most of their current fans. Connelly followed up the success with singles from their new album, including “Quiet,” “Big Amygdala,” and “Flowers Pt. 1.”
The Simpleton album release show will be February 21st at The Burren in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Connolly grew up on the South Shore of Massachusetts, where both of her parents were in a cover band. They had instruments scattered around the house, and music was all around her, so it was inevitable she would pick it up. She was always picked for solos in school concerts, and wrote a lot of poetry, but it wasn’t until her later teens that she realized she had a gift for words and music, and should start taking it seriously.
The artist’s inspiration arrived in many ways. Oddly enough, a lot of her inspiration actually came from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, which made her realize she could sing in the first place. This along with music teachers in school investing a lot in her before she knew what she was really capable of. Combine that with her teenage obsessions with Green Day, My Chemical Romance, and Paramore among others, and the race was on.
Connolly released her debut album, Almost, in 2020, and followed it up with her sophomore release, Transitions, in 2024.
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