“I was just really struck by it because it sounded so timeless. I was like, ‘Is this from the ’60s?’ [Because I’d] never heard it. I’m pretty good on the radar. I was like, ‘It kind of sounds new?'” That’s San Francisco songwriter Jessica Pratt telling Fader about the first time she heard the music of Tim Presley. It’s no wonder that, in turn, Pratt’s songs resonated with Presley — who dropped everything and started a label just to release her self-titled debut — as the quote echoes a common first impression of her own material. Giving it more time to sink in, a long list of influences — both older (Karen Dalton, Josephine Foster, Bert Jansch) and new — spring up at various moments. But spinning this standout track now, they all just sound like contemporaries. Hear “Streets of Mine” above.
