Christian Lee Hutson is back with Paradise Pop. 10, and oh boy, is it a real journey. Known for his delicate blend of lo-fi folk, indie pop, and Americana, the LA singer-songwriter has a knack for threading deeply personal stories through the fabric of everyday life. Hutson’s previous records, Beginners (2020) and Quitters (2022), earned him acclaim for his introspective, emotionally resonant lyrics, and his new album, produced once again by Phoebe Bridgers, takes that same sharp focus but sets it on a broader, more adventurous canvas.

Paradise Pop. 10 sometimes feels like a collection of short stories written on cocktail napkins, where each song is a scene plucked from a life both intimate and cinematic. From the opening line of “Tonight your name is Charlotte / In a play within a play,” Hutson signals that we’re in for another round of autobiographical fiction. Only this time, his writing is more distilled and direct, more to the point. The album’s vignettes take us to unexpected places: a dive bar in Minneapolis, a bowling alley at the Jersey Shore, and a stage production of a Tom Stoppard play in San Francisco. Despite the sprawling scenery, the world Hutson creates is like an airport terminal, where all these characters sit together, waiting for their lives to take off. As always, Hutson's lyrics are front and center, making even the most mundane moments feel special.

A standout track, “Carousel Horses,” co-written with Maya Hawke, is an indie-pop earworm drenched in shoegaze influences. It’s a sequel of sorts to Quitters' “Age Difference,” but the emotional depth has only grown. Meanwhile, “Flamingos,” featuring Bridgers on harmonies, offers a sparse, piano-driven moment of quiet reflection, as Hutson croons about love, memory, and the small details that make up a life. What sets Paradise Pop. 10 apart is its unpretentious charm. There’s a breezy, carefree vibe to tracks like “Beauty School,” which veers into pop-punk territory, offering a contrast to the more melancholic tones elsewhere. Yet, even with its laid-back sound, the album is full of moments that catch you off guard with how heavy they really are once your immerse yourself in them.

Recorded in Brooklyn, Paradise Pop. 10 marks a shift for Hutson. The city of Los Angeles had become a memory graveyard for him, and relocating to New York helped him find a new sense of present mindedness. "I wanted to make an 'eyes up' record," Hutson says. Paradise Pop. 10 is that record. It’s an ode to living in the moment, where every song feels like a new arrival.