When your debut album doesn’t sound like your debut release, you’re doing something right. Such is the case for the 26-year-old San Fran singer-songwriter Ryan Auffenberg. After the Damien Rice comparisons that followed The Bright Lights EP, Auffenberg’s first proper release, Marigolds, is referred to as “postmodern Americana” by his record label, although I’m not certain where the post part comes from. This record sounds as familiar and accessible as the best of Americana; songs that sound as if they’ve been smoothed out over years of wear on the road.

Read more about Ryan Auffenberg on Last.fm.