LOS ANGELES, CA- It was “These Days” that did it. My first introduction to Windser—real name Jordan Topf—came via this crystalline little alt-pop track, and within seconds I found myself leaning in. There’s a clarity to Windser’s voice that’s hard to ignore—not just in tone, which is sharp and glassy like morning light after a storm, but in its emotional resonance. The lyrics hit you straight on: “I’m so bored / I’m depressed / I’m a mess / These days.” And somehow, it’s not heavy-handed. It’s honest. Direct. Stirring.
What really caught my ear was the duality embedded in his delivery. While the words might read like a spiral, there’s something subtly light in his performance. The kind of hopeful ache that suggests that even in the muck of malaise, Windser sees a way out—or at the very least, a melody worth following.
Admittedly, I had no idea Windser had previously collaborated with Macklemore (whose post- The Heist catalogue I sort of let drift past me). Turns out, Topf co-wrote and performed on “Maniac” and “Next Year” back in the early ’20s. If I’d known then what I know now, I probably would’ve followed the thread back to Windser’s earlier solo work. Better late than never, right?
That rabbit hole led me to his 2022 EP Where the Redwoods Meet the Sea, a gentle and introspective collection that hinted at what was to come. But compared to his latest trio of singles—“These Days,” “Abandon,” and “Shut Up and Kiss Me”—there’s a noticeable sharpening of his craft. The songwriting feels more assured. The choruses are stickier. The emotions more precisely distilled. He’s not just writing songs anymore; he’s sculpting moments.
Take “Abandon” for instance. The moment he sings “I can’t feel you around me anymore” and hits the top of the scale with a full-voiced “you,” is something that pushes all of the emotional buttons. That note lands like a hard truth—bare, vulnerable, and completely unafraid. Even when he’s reflecting on the wreckage of relationships there’s an underlying confidence to it all. A sense that Windser knows exactly what he’s saying—and exactly how it should sound.
That growth in sonic storytelling isn’t accidental. With collaborators like Jerry Borgé (Lucinda Williams), Daniel Rhine (Phoebe Bridgers), and Dan Bailey (Father John Misty) fleshing out the instrumentation, and production support from Jon Gilbert (flipturn, Mt. Joy) and Matias Tellez (Girl in Red), Windser’s sound on these newer tracks feels broader, bolder, and more refined.
His full-length, self-titled debut is set to drop May 16th via Bright Antenna Records, and it’s shaping up to be a quiet triumph—one born not from hype or flash, but from the slow and steady build of someone who’s clearly spent the past few years chiseling his identity as a songwriter.
As for me? I’m all in. There’s something special here—clean melodies with guts, melancholy shaded with sunlight, and a voice that’s as crisp as it is comforting. Windser may sing of heartache, but the future sounds bright.
Los Angeles… Windsor’s got a record release show at Permanent Records Roadhouse on May 16th hosted by Side The Cat. You may want to get in on that.
Follow Windser on Facebook, Instagram and X.
*********************
