Posted February 2023

Singer/songwriter Abby Litman is an up-and-coming folk musician whose songs marry the lyrical traditions of American folk music with inventive acoustic arrangements and modern concepts. A graduate of USC’s Thornton School of Music, she released her debut album, Seasons, along with original artwork, in 2016, her single, The Garden, accompanied by an animated music video, in 2019, and has played in and curated shows across Los Angeles. She founded Good Folk, an LA-based concert series for local folk musicians, in 2017 and has featured more than thirty artists.

Originally from Bethesda, Maryland, Litman’s first foray into music started with classical piano lessons at the age of 6. Her dad, a Bob Dylan fanatic, made sure to supplement Chopin’s nocturnes with a healthy dose of Bob Dylan, and it didn’t take long until Abby was permanently hooked to Dylan’s gritty, honest, and mythic storytelling. Sneaking off with her dad’s Martin guitar, she began learning Dylan’s guitar parts by ear and notating her father’s edition of collected Bob Dylan lyrics. By high school, she was writing poetry and making her own songs. She learned to read and listen widely, from Nick Drake to Edna St. Vincent Millay to Joni Mitchell, whose soaring, arching vocal lines continue to serve as a measuring stick for her own.

Abby releases her third single off her new EP, Still On My Mind, today. This single is the third of three to come. It’s a mirror image of her last EP, On My Mind, but with a new twist that will still pull on your heartstrings melodically and lyrically. “Troubles” landed on new release radar and folk playlists gaining traction as the most listened to single off her last album.

“Troubles” captures the inner monologue of a songwriter’s worries and insecurities. With only a quiet, fingerpicked guitar and flourishes from a muted vibraphone, Litman’s vocals are front and center. The accompanying artwork is a color palette of blues and blacks that recalls isolation, while its jagged seams and messy threads evoke the uncertainty of everyday life.

Back in 2021, Abby Litman teamed up with Grammy-nominated producer Tyler Chester (Andrew Bird, Madison Cunningham, Margaret Glaspy) to record two 3-song EP’s, On My Mind and Still On My Mind (releasing early Spring 2023). Collectively these songs resonate beyond their individual meanings. These songs showcase Litman’s extensive range, knack for harmony, and penchant for heartfelt storytelling. Her sonically-rich performance accompanies her honest lyrics that mirror her personal anxieties along with any other generation feeling the uncertain truths and dread of finding meaning in the world all while trying to make most of the uncertainties that life puts on hold.

The single cover art represents not only Litman’s creative sewing project but also represents each single individuality through the beautiful artwork that is fastened into one distinct texture. As a result, Litman takes the qualities of a physical relic, a wooden chest that, when opened, reveals one artist’s meditation on love, loss, and the pursuit of happiness and creative passion.

You can follow Abby at her website, www.abbylitman.com, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

The Boomerocity Interview with Abby Litman