Sean Armstrong is a singer/recorder/player who fits into the barking grooves in the floorboards; sits on the ground, surrounded by a web of cables, and dreams that it is swept away. Armstrong recorded his first song (the song was about squirrels) at 5 years old, and could never lose a fascination with the magic of music. Sean lives in Berlin with long term musical collaborator Rachel Taylor aka Rocky Lorelei. Together they started Rehberge Records, a small tape label named after their favourite park, and play as Slipper. Armstrong’s first solo record on Rehberge, The Technical Times, was out in 2022 and in April 2025 we had the oppotunity and honour to host the world premiere of the title track from his new album, Velvet Ever After which is out now on cassette/online. And it’s magnificent. The best thing you’re going to listen to in 2025. His high-pitched, thin and melodic voice is a caress and his guitar is a balm. Think about a (more) demure and psychedelic version of Nick Drake, living secluded in Laurel Canyon.

What Sean Says: “I think in this song I was trying to say something that I had been thinking for a long time but didn’t know how to express. I’ve been fantasising about living somewhere more remote, like the places where I grew up, and this song is about that. I feel that cities are alluring places to live in, as they offer what I believe is ultimately a false sense of individualism. In nature you get to know that you are at the mercy of the elements and (dare I say it?) reliant on the help of other people, as most of us are, and you become more connected with what’s actually going on.” 

“This song was quite fast in coming together. I prefer it when it happens that way, as it seems to provide a more focused feeling, or vibe, like a bolt from the blue. I don’t really know what a lot of my songs are about when I write them. It’s more of a stream of consciousness that later makes sense in a broader context. In the end these ones have the strongest meaning, because they express things in between the words, and not just within them.“

His Mixtape:

Bob Marley – Soul Rebel

I love the spirit that you can hear in his songs. For some people rebellion isn’t a choice, it’s a necessity in order to stay alive. In Germany and the UK, you have to be a bit of a rebel if you don’t want to support the Gaza genocide, and all the war mongering that’s going on. Our governments are helping to drop bombs on innocent people including children in displacement camps, so why should we let them have any authority over us? I think the world would be a colder place without Bob Marley’s music.

 

Matching Outfits – Blood Moon Eclipse

Matching Outfits are a band from Berlin whose existence I’m extremely glad of. I think Linnea’s songwriting and voice is really special, and the band supports one another in style. There are some harmonies and call-and response vocal moments that remind me of the pink ladies in Grease if they were being directed by Ingmar Bergman. This is my favourite song from their first album, a stone cold classic that I have on cassette. 

The Band – Acadian Driftwood

The band has a special place in my heart. One of my parents’ favourites that was passed down. This arrangement is kind of unusual for The Band, but I always loved the combination of folk instruments, including the accordion, whistles, fiddles and windswept guitar. In a way I think the sounds reminded me of the music that I heard at the weekly ceilidhs (parties with Gaelic songs, dancing, refreshments, a joyful event for all ages) growing up for some time on an Island in the Outer Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland.

Gránátèze – Tingletangle

Me and my band totally fell for them when touring together, as musicians and as people. Their sound is elemental and free. Their harmonies are imaginative and intertwined. There is no other band like them and they make a beautiful noise that I’ll never get tired of hearing.

 

Ruby Andrews – Just Loving You

I heard it on Dave Godin’s ‘From the vaults’ deep soul compilation. The music is great, but for me this one’s all about the vocal – careering almost out of control, seemingly drunk on emotion – pure joy. 

Anna Erhard – 170

Anna Erhard’s lyrics in some songs, like this one, are really hilarious, and the compositional technique is refreshing. Her voice is brilliant, even when she just talks. There’s something about Anna bringing a sense of humour to the music that strikes me as totally righteous. I’m still working on mine. 

Dusty Springfield – Am I The Same Girl

Dusty Springfield was one of my dad’s favourite singers. I think it was passed on through the genetics. I hate to pick it apart, but that bass line really does it for me…all the little half-steps and pauses. Totally in the pocket or something like that, not that I would know what or where the pocket is. 

Fenster – Like A River

I feel quite emotional when thinking about these people. Johnny and JJ were there for me through a really rough time, which required more strength than most ordinary people could have – and that’s not even mentioning their music, which is a cosmic and uplifting thing in of itself. Take this recording by Fenster, tenderly noting the correlating patterns of human feeling with geological phenomena. I think they were onto something.

Velvet Ever After is out now via Rehberge Records. Look HERE for more information on Sean Armstrong.