Browsing Tag

Conner Eko

Conner Eko is the ultimate advocate for defiant resilience in ‘Standing Up’

Posted on 24 January 2025

Conner Eko’s forthcoming single, Standing Up (Live in Studio), is an unflinching testament to resilience and defiance. Penned during a battle with suicidal ideation, the Vallejo, California-based astrophysicist and indie pop singer-songwriter channels his pain into a piano-driven power ballad that dares to shatter the silence around mental health struggles. The release, recorded live and uncut at Oakland’s 25th Street Recording Studios, marks another milestone in Eko’s deeply personal and professional evolution.

Eko’s performance, underscored by his strident piano chords and backed by the soulful harmonies of Marlo Goeller and Angel Syriah, achieves a seismic emotional force. The crescendos are sanctifying, surging with a zeal that carries echoes of Meat Loaf’s theatricality, tempered by gospel-inspired backing vocals. Each lyric resonates with the weight of someone who has faced the abyss and drawn a line in the sand, refusing to succumb to despair.

Filmed by independent filmmaker Aaron Japzon, the live session captures not just the music but the raw authenticity of Eko’s story. A short documentary, set to release shortly after the single, delves deeper into Eko’s journey, exploring his battle with depression and his transformative recovery through psychedelic integration therapy.

With its allegory of strength and refusal to wait for miracles, Standing Up doesn’t just advocate for mental health—it’s a visceral push toward hope.

Standing Up will be available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify and Bandcamp, from January 24th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

You Stood There: California-based indie pop Conner Eko stares at the wall on I Didn’t See You At All

Posted on 3 October 2022

From heroically fighting through post-concussion syndrome and an increase in depression from a very dark time, Conner Eko rises fearlessly and shows us he is back on a terrific single to learn from called I Didn’t See You At All.

Conner Eko is a Vallejo, California-based indie pop singer-songwriter and astrophysicist who makes that inspiring sound that will take you places you forgot existed.

”Eko participated in previous musical projects as a singer-songwriter (such as Pittsburgh-based indie rock band Falling Andes), but that was many years ago. During this time away, he spent time as a high school science teacher, and most recently began working on a PhD in astrophysics. He studies planets around other stars, thinks about the idea of life elsewhere in the universe, and how to get students to learn science better through data-driven Modeling Astronomy.” ~ taken from Conner Eko’s Facebook page

After grabbing our attention on the excellent Christmas Morning Goodbye from the end of 2021, Conner Eko shows us deep inside the sands of time that sadly fade away too quickly. Sung with a vigorous passion that will get you into a dreamy state of affairs, this is a wall breaking song to embrace tightly all night.

I Didn’t See You At All from Vallejo, California-based indie pop singer-songwriter Conner Eko is such an honest single that is made with true love. Taking us through the lost winds as the search to find those hands became so surreal, this is a special track that is packed with that rare authenticity the world is currently lacking.

See this live acoustic video on YouTube and see more on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Conner Eko has released his pensive pop-rock single, Christmas Morning Goodbye

Posted on 12 December 2021

With songwriting skills that would give Gary Barlow a run for his money, Conner Eko has delivered the Christmas song we never knew we needed with ‘Christmas Morning Goodbye’.

The pop-rock crossover track starts with a simple, festive piano melody before it picks up momentum with searing hot guitars blazing through the soundscape around Eko’s resounding, unfaltering vocals. For anyone who likes their festive music with an air of melancholy, Christmas Morning Goodbye is the ultimate December playlist staple.

The official music video for Conner Eko’s single, Christmas Morning Goodbye, premiered on December 3rd. It is now available to stream on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Conner Eko has made his unmissable indie synth-pop debut with SINK

Posted on 19 August 2021

‘SINK’ is the debut indie synth-pop track from the Californian singer-songwriter Conner Eko who takes inspiration from a vast repertoire of artists to achieve his authentically affectionate sound that we’re hoping will become signature in subsequent releases. If Trent Reznor produced for Boy George, the sonic result wouldn’t be all too different from the danceably dark, ethereal textures in SINK, and we are here for it.

2021 has been rough on everyone, but Conner Eko had more to overcome than most. In March 2021, he suffered a traumatic brain injury that forced him away from this work and towards music, resulting in the release of SINK that precedes the release of his debut album, due for release in early 2022.

SINK was released on August 3rd; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast