Harlem-based singer-songwriter River Hooks began her career at the age of 11 and by 16 was uploading covers of songs by Billie Ellish, Chelsea Cutler and others to SoundCloud. Soon after, she was writing and recording her own material, culminating in her first EP, 11:11, which arrives this October via Internet & Weed.
On her new single “Mountains”, Hooks proves herself a remarkable vocalist, who quickly finds the emotional truths of the songs, then reveals them to the listener with ease and an impeccable understatement that bodes well for the rest of her debut. Though she is not a singer-songwriter in the sense of a coffeehouse troubadour, she belongs in the storied tradition of writers who place the song front and center and is poised for a bright future in that arena.