Pete Muller is a problem solver. Whether he’s writing songs for his critically acclaimed albums, revolutionizing the way Wall Street works through applied mathematics, or crafting crosswords for The New York Times and Washington Post, the hyper-talented renaissance man always seems to have his eye on unlocking some deeper level of understanding.

With his touching new album, Spaces, Muller takes on perhaps the biggest puzzle of them all: himself. Recorded with Emmy Award-winning producer/arranger Rob Mathes (Sting, Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Panic! At The Disco), Spaces is a lush and timeless collection, one that balances head and heart in equal measure as it wrestles with questions of love and connection and purpose and identity. The writing here is tender and poignant, fueled by profoundly empathetic character studies and remarkably vulnerable acts of self-reflection. The performances are warm and dynamic to match, mixing singer/songwriter intimacy with classic pop charm and jazz sophistication. Add it all up and you’ve got a rich, moving work of radical honesty that leaves no stone unturned in its examination of the tension between duty and fate, between commitment and escape, between who we are and who we’re meant to be. Spaces follows Muller’s widely lauded 2019 release, Dissolve, which earned praise everywhere from American Songwriter to People Magazine, led to tour dates around the country, and helped land festival appearances from Montreux to Telluride.

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Photo credit: Chris Morgan