McArdle offers a mature, muted version of himself....in honest Americana and gothic folk --DC Decider
Bay Area native McArdle, formerly of Lookout! Records post-punk band the Cost, re-emerges as a solo artist on this intriguing debut. Hatched in Washington, DC, where he spent the last five years, Northern Charms finds McArdle returning to his roots both literally and figuratively with a thematically deep yet ultimately resigned take on contemporary indie-folk. -- East Bay Express
DC songwriter, freed from the post-punk straightjacket, produces a quiet monster of a single. The A side combines drone organ with neo-countryoid guitar and plaintive vocals into something reminiscent of Yo La Tengo at their least emblematic. The flip is an instrumental in the Renbourn tradition. -- The Wire Magazine
In the past, we’ve gotten a track or two from local singer songwriter Sean McArdle, but never a full-length CD. We have one now and it was worth the wait. Charming guitar-driven folk pop, haunting at times...Definitely worth picking up... --On Tap Magazine
Embracing the universal themes of love and loss, McArdle has crafted a nuanced and elegant collection of songs that walk the ever receding line between Rock and Americana...McArdle appears to have undergone a transformation since his Lookout! Records days...The result is a solid record from start to finish.
--Wildy's World
Sean McArdle makes folky, gentle music so queer and quirky it can only be labeled "indie." -- Washington Post Express
swoons and soothes and pulls you into a trance --Clevelandzine
Sounds real nice -- Rennie Sparks, Handsome Family, noted rocker |