Much like singer/songwriter forebears Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson, Australia's Tex Crick writes melodic piano pop with a soft heart and wry intelligence. Rising from small-town roots on the country's south coast, he cut his teeth in the mid-2010s as a touring keyboardist for artists like Kirin J. Callinan, Iggy Pop, and Weyes Blood before a chance encounter with Mac DeMarco in New York led to the release of his solo debut. Self-recorded between tours in a New York apartment and released by DeMarco's personal label, Live In...New York City arrived in March 2021, followed by 2023's Sweet Dreamin'.