For perhaps the first time in her eight year career, singer/songwriter Aly Tadros felt ready to drop all pretense and the temptation to hide behind irony, wearing her heart fully on her sleeve for each of the 13 tracks that make up Hungry Ghost. Perhaps that’s because Tadros has grown significantly since her musical start, her third LP– which comes out on December 2^nd and was produced by Kevin Salem (Rachael Yamagata, Yo la Tengo, Mike Doughty)– coming in the wake of many personal challenges, including the death of her father, her battle to overcome alcoholism and the closure of longterm relationships.

But even through those times, Tadros remained devoted to her work, releasing Things Worth Keeping in 2009 and The Fits in 2013, all the while touring exhaustively– a whopping ten U.S. and four European tours. Her fans returned the favor, helping her reach 120% of her PledgeMusic goal, fully funding Hungry Ghost.

Today, Elmore is premiering a track from her upcoming release, “Silence Of The City.” Tadros shares the story and emotions behind the song, recalling, “I moved to New York City five years ago, and haven’t had a dull moment since. During my first year, my car was towed (twice), broken into (once); I’ve been flashed more times than I can count, and I was nearly peed on last week. Somehow, I still love it here. There’s an almost masochistic determination to make it in New York.

Shortly after moving here, I joined a songwriting group. Each week, we got a new phrase to write a song with. The first phrase was “The Loud Silence,” which is the epitome of my apartment. I sat down at my desk and started freewriting about all the noises I usually do my best to tune out: garbage trucks barreling down Eastern Parkway, my roommate boiling water in the kitchen, the upstairs neighbors rustling around their apartment….

What fell out of me was a song about adjusting to life in the city. All of its sounds; its stresses. What about it feels liberating, and what about it makes me batty. If you can learn to embrace it, you’ll find inspiration everywhere. The small, sweet things are what New York’s rough edges bearable.”

Tadros’ soulful voice alone evokes complete sincerity. The indie-folk song resonates with the strum of acoustic guitar as it mingles with gently electronic harmonies. It’s heartbreaking, yet hopefully– a true portrait of life in one of the world’s busiest metropolises.

Tomorrow, November 23^rd, at 9pm, Tadros will play a special showcase at Joe’s Pub to celebrate the upcoming release of Hungry Ghost. You can buy tickets for that event here, and follow Tadros on her website
Facebook and Twitter.