Originally Published on May 26th, 2026

We are just a little over a year since Stonehocker released his sophomore album, Hello, Mr. Hyde. That album was the epitome of what a Stonehocker record sounds like in my head. Alt rock, pop rock, acoustically driven, but never shies away from turning up the juice. For instance, the title track exhibits all of that.

Hello, Mr. Hyde was such a big project for Stonehocker. It consisted of a release cycle that started in August of 2024 and ended in March of 2025 with the release of the album, a solo acoustic tour that saw Stonehocker showcasing the album throughout Alberta and the surrounding cities and territories of Canada, and he also produced a series of music videos (including this one I had the privilege of filming a Blind Reaction for).

Suffice it to say, Hello, Mr. Hyde was a big project and Stonehocker really invested a lot of creative energy making it. From personal experience, I know that can be exhausting. I am always curious to see and know how people move on from that.

121. Fifteen Minutes of Fame Recaps: Album Review of Hello Mr. Hyde by Stonehocker

The world of independent music is a tricky one right now. Access to reputable DAWs has given musicians opportunities to record and sometimes re-record back catalogs of music spanning decades. These artists are able to mass-produce music that’s been written and perfected over years. It makes it seem like they are producing a lot of music when the reality is, they’re compressing years of work to finally be able to put it on record.

That’s not the case for Stonehocker. He is putting out fresh music, which takes time. It is involved. The process is overall, consuming, to say the least. He takes the process very seriously. I’ll never forget what he said to me when I was reviewing his single release for Take Everything.

61. Single Review of Take Everything by Stonehocker

“I remember the relief I felt when I wrote those words, ‘Take Everything.’” – Stonehocker

It was as if the process of writing that song took something out of him as it healed trauma from his past. Point being, it didn’t happen overnight.

I can only imagine that producing something like Hello, Mr. Hyde can require a recovery period. And yes, one of the best things to do for many during this period of “regrouping,” is to pick up a guitar and start writing lyrics and melodies.

Songs From Yesterday

Songs From Yesterday is the first EP from Alberta-based indie artist, Stonehocker. It follows the release of his second album, Hello, Mr. Hyde. It released on May 22nd, 2016 and it features 5 songs that run at 18 minutes in total. Of those songs, Angel and Year of My Memory were released as singles leading up to the EP release. The EP was recorded and released by Mark Stonehocker.

“Songs From Yesterday is for anyone who’s ever felt lost, numb, or close to fading out. It’s about the family, friends, and loves of our lives.” – Stonehocker

Purchase Songs From Yesterday on Bandcamp

Stonehocker is traditionally a strong storyteller with his songwriting and he has been consistent with this EP. Musically, this work has evolved from his prior releases in the form of stripping down to a more basic, organic composition. The percussion is programmed, but the primary instrumentation for this album is acoustic guitar. There is a simplistic inclusion of bass, and piano/keys throughout, but only in an effort to provide layering to the guitar. There is also some subtle incorporation of electric guitar in select songs.

In his bio on bandcamp, he notes the focal track is Little Star Flake, and it is a good song, but to me this entire EP is encompassed by good songs. Until I play Rediscover Me.

Quick parenthetical: I think Stonehocker is a talented musician. He’s got a killer tenor voice, it is powerful, and he is a strong guitar player as well. He’s knows how to write a song. That being said, I would go out on a limb and say he’s not too risky with his sound. His music shifts and evolves but he is absolutely comfortable with where he feels he is best. There’s nothing wrong with that. That describes most musicians. That describes me. He’s just not experimental, and that’s ok.

Now, having said that, Rediscover Me is different. This song rips me up. The progression that’s played beneath the recurring piano part is so solemn and good, but the piano changes the ENTIRE piece. The piano is so fantastically good. I can’t get over it. The transitional chords in the verses, the bass passing tones in the bridge and hook, they leave an impression on this song. I can’t describe it other than to say this sound makes my ears so happy.

To top it off, Stonehocker’s voice is performed differently. He sings most of the song in a whisper. He stays in his vocal wheelhouse. He brings backing vocals in at all the right places. He doesn’t add too much to the song. He lets it exist as if every note fell right into place.

Rediscover Me is hands down, bar none, Stonehocker’s absolute best song. I would listen to it 100 times in a row. The more I listen to it, the it just puts me in a trance. It is the perfect ending to the EP, and it is a different level of profound. It is the biggest risk he’s ever taken as a songwriter and it is the most vulnerable he’s ever been behind the mic. Rediscover Me is Stonehocker’s Starry Night.

Songs From Yesterday is an incredibly easy listen. It is deeply soothing music, it is filled with captivating storytelling, as his music typically is, and it has a pearl of a closing song. This is a pure EP. It’s minimal in comparison to other releases by Stonehocker; there aren’t any big moments. Instead, for an artist who wants to be intimate with his audience, I think he finally hit the nail right on the head. Songs From Yesterday has had my full and undivided attention with every listen and I’ve probably played it 15-20 times since Friday.

Stonehocker has done what every artist secretly sets out to do: he’s made a connection with his audience. There’s nothing left to say but this:

Go press play.