Damien Jurado

About

Damien Jurado has spent nearly three decades quietly building one of the most distinctive catalogs in American folk and indie rock, starting with lo fi cassette releases in Seattle before Sub Pop came calling on a tip from Sunny Day Real Estate's Jeremy Enigk. His early work leaned into found sound and field recordings, including a 2000 release built entirely from audio letters and fragments pulled off thrift store tape players and answering machines. Over the years he has worked with producers like Ken Stringfellow and Richard Swift, whose psych tinged, gospel warm touch shaped a celebrated run of albums in the 2010s. Jurado has never slowed down. He put out three studio albums in 2023 alone, all on his own Maraqopa Records, and his song "Silver Joy" found a whole new audience when it appeared on the soundtrack to The Holdovers. His music has also turned up in Wild Wild Country, The Blacklist, and a Moby album, making him one of those artists whose work keeps showing up in unexpected places. The sheer volume of output never feels rushed, just prolific.