For a decade now, Dan Knishkowy has steadily been spreading his wings as a songwriter under the Adeline Hotel moniker, evolving from the slowcore-shaded opening moments of his folk-rock debut EP in 2015 to incorporating elements of chamber-pop, ambient music, and American primitivism on recent full-length (and fuller-sounding) releases. Just under a year removed from his last record, October 2023’s Hot Fruit, he’s already announcing his return with Whodunnit slated to arrive on September 27 via Ruination Records, the label he co-founded which has recently brought us modern chamber-folk classics by the likes of Hannah Frances, Alena Spanger, and Jackie West. The latter vocalist even makes an appearance on the new record, while songwriter Katie Von Schleicher was responsible for producing the whole project.
Ahead of the record’s release, Knishkowy is sharing the expansive six-minute title track, which slowly evolves from soft vocals and acoustic guitar to include barroom piano, brushed snare, and other flourishes. “I wrote this song as an excavation of a relationship, a ‘whodunnit’ trying to uncover what went wrong and who’s to blame,” the songwriter shares. “But like my favorite ‘whodunnits,’ by the time you find out who’s responsible for the crime, it doesn’t really matter anymore—what’s compelling is watching the dialectic circumstances react to and cause each other. Letting go of blame, I was freed to find myself and build my own connection with the world that had been lost.”
Check out the new single below, and pre-order Whodunnit here.
