photo by Hannah Gray Hall
Singer-songwriter Carli Brill crafts charming, intricate retro-pop that blends the warmth of 60s-era radio hits with a sleek and modern sophistication. With honey-smooth vocals and a knack for complex rhythmic shifts, Brill has a natural gift for musical storytelling, sharing her distinctive worldview through introspective lyrics inspired by everything from childhood experience to current relationship woes. “I make music because I can’t imagine not making music,” she says.
Born and raised in Southern California, Brill grew up dabbling in guitar, piano, voice, and flute, inspired by 50s and 60s acts (The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Mamas and The Papas, Simon and Garfunkel) whose work spanned a wide spectrum of styles. “I love songs that are unexpected, full of contrasting elements,” she says. “I like to be surprised.” Brill released a self-produced Christmas album via Bandcamp in 2016, piquing her interest in a music career; then in 2018 she won a nationwide contest, judged by British artist Jessie J, to record tracks at L.A.’s Capitol Records. In 2019 Brill released her debut self-titled pop EP under the name Sonora, written and recorded in Oceanside, CA. Later that year, she moved to Nashville to pursue her music career full-time.
Now set to release three new singles under her own name in 2022, Carli Brill has evolved as an artist and songwriter, experimenting with shifting rhythms and vintage tones in strikingly original arrangements. Her vocals have the silky, effortless purity of indie-pop/folk icons Mirah and Keren Ann, while the tracks incorporate subtle retro flourishes like organ accents and jingle bells for a throwback charm reminiscent of Tennis’s Cape Dory album. Recorded in Nashville and produced by Brendan St. Gelais, Brill’s new work showcases her natural ability to fuse internal and external, past and present, into uniquely compelling music. “I find that the song tells you where it wants to go,” she says. “I just trust what feels right.”