Every Wednesday, the ugly hug shares a playlist personally curated by an artist/band that we have been enjoying. this week we have a collection of songs put together by New York-based singer-songwriter Caleb Cordes of the project Sinai Vessel.

With the release of Sinai Vessel’s fourth and final record, aptly titled I SING, Caleb culminated an album so masterful in storytelling – where instances of relational anxieties, economic plateaus and artistic values grapple with the prerequisites of both purity and cynicism – play so passionately with the grace of a tenured songwriter. Since then, while Caleb has begun to look ahead, defining new endeavors in life, his writing remains tried and true to what it means to be an individual, not lost, but wandering around this confusing, harsh, and beautiful world. Coming up upon 6 months of I SING, we asked Caleb to curate a playlist for the ugly hug, in which he shared,

Every so often — maybe only once or twice a year — I happen across a song that becomes a kind of home. “Home” sounds corny, but it’s apt — I wind up making a habit of departing from and returning to these songs, using them to bookend seasons or sessions of more experimental listening. I set down my bags, I kick off my shoes, I sigh. I expend almost no energy listening to them — they are wholly a source of comfort, a set of friends that make me feel like myself. Collected together, they form much of my motive for why I continue to listen, to search. And beyond listening, they plainly constitute a compelling reason to look forward to being alive.

A healthy portion of these tunes are songs that feel utterly private simply by extension of the fact that I’ve yet to meet another person that’s also heard them. It can feel special to be alone in that room, but I’d much rather share — especially if it means another person could find something in them to add to their own tender pantheon. Of course, these songs have also served as a constant point of reference for my own songwriting — and, seeing as I’m taking some time away from being a person who publishes or plays music, I’d like to offer them as context for my work while my last release is still reasonably close behind.

My ideal experience with all of these songs is that I could introduce them to you personally — to be on the same trip, so to speak. In my minivan, winding a mountain road. Or on a walk with two pairs of headphones, introducing one friend to another. In any case, here’s hoping you find one that gives you shelter.

Listen to Caleb’s playlist here!

You can listen to I SING on all platforms as well as purchase a vinyl copy.

Written by Shea Roney | Featured Photo by Trent Wayne