Originally Published on November 13th, 2026

“This is an existential road trip album that’s neither about the departure nor the arrival. When you’re in the middle of nowhere, you’re never anywhere but where you are.” Cade Hoppe

Cade Hoppe, an independent artist out of LA, is on a path to self-discovery. Rather than obsessing over the destination, he is fixated on the journey itself, as he continues to learn roads don’t always lead where he initially thought they would. For instance, he didn’t imagine that he would discover a passion for songwriting while playing basketball at NYU and majoring in finance.

Yet, it was there where his passion for songwriting did develop. During the Covid pandemic, Hoppe made the choice to pursue music full time. He released his debut album, Tell Me How It’s Worth It in 2021, then it’s follow up, Just Look at the Moon, in 2023. After 7 years in New York, he made the move to LA where he works as a producer while also in pursuit of his own solo career.

Safer At A Distance

Safer At A Distance is the third full-length album released by Cade Hoppe, after 2023’s Just Look at the Moon. It releases today, November the 13th. It features 11 songs including the previously released singles Crashland, Lake Michigan, Still Turn This Around, and Flatearther. All songs are written and performed by Hoppe and Safer At A Distance is being independently released through Arcade Sound.

From start to finish, I just love the depth the songwriting is willing to go. Hoppe’s lyrics are methodical as he attempts to unpack a concept of thought that borderlines a philosophical breakthrough. The album as a whole “explores the interplay between acceptance and denial, and the ways we make sense of reality through the things we want to believe.” In the song Lake Michigan, Hoppe is convincing himself that Lake Michigan is the Pacific Ocean. Then, in Flatearther, he equates the conspiracy theory to the lengths people go to in order to preserve a belief in spite of the evidence that may be presented to disprove it.

The composition is simple; not in a boring way, but in a pleasant one. Hoppe’s not hyper-focused on being weird or complicated. The compositions are good and they’re performed very well. His vocal performance is wonderful. He has a strong baritone voice and he occasionally exhibits width to his range that showcases real talent vocally. The style is a blend of pop, rock, and Americana, as it is heavily driven by organic instruments such as acoustic guitar and there is little to no evidence of heavy programming being used throughout the entire body of work.

As Hoppe is a producer himself, it is no surprise that Safter At A Distance is very well produced. The mix is perfect, it’s not too spread out or mashed together. He also proves once again that the best trick a producer can have is that of an already great performance. There isn’t a moment that is over-saturated with reverb, and there isn’t a necessity for “production magic” at any point in the album. The production is disciplined in it’s ability to let the project grow from the performance and the result is brilliant.

“This Whole Album Oscillates Between Acceptance and Denial, While Constantly Assessing What Is and Isn’t Reality.”

As good as the composition and the production of this album is, I think the songwriting is what pushes Safer At A Distance over the edge for me. This album is remarkably written. Cade Hoppe has taken a common thought concept, our existence, and he has turned it into this completely abstract idea. It’s like how physicists see time, then develop the theory of wormholes to manipulate that time. It’s absolutely extraordinary. In addition to Flatearther, my personal favorites are Make Me King and Staring Contest. However, every single song is good. There are absolutely no skips on this record.

Go press play!