Press

CHILLFILTR [NOVEMBER 2020]

“Aaron Tinjum is a Minnesota-based songwriter with a talent for crafting intimate narratives about the ups and downs of daily life. He put together his folk rock project, Aaron Tinjum and the Tangents, while playing the many coffeehouses, dive bars, and thrift shops of Austin, Texas - the live music capital of the world. In 2012, with the release of debut EP Mirrors in the Dark, his band was honored by the Mayor of Austin and the City Council with their own official holiday.

After a stint in Washington, D.C. and the release of Foreign & Domestic in 2016, Tinjum returned home to Minnesota to begin work on his next album. With the newly re-formed Tangents, he recorded his third release Zinger at Sovereignty Recording in Minneapolis. The latest entry in Tinjum’s catalogue features his most mature songwriting to date, as he continues to expand his repertoire with heartfelt explorations of emotional resiliency, missed expectations, and the bittersweet process of growing old. "On the Way Down" showcases Aaron's deep baritone vocal, backed by a roots band that included acoustic and electric guitar, B3, and beautiful layers of vocal harmony. With an organic sound that might remind you of Guster, this folk-rock toe-tapper combines a wistful sense of romance with a feeling that the best is yet to come.

Follow Aaron on Instagram and Twitter. This song is featured on our Roots Collection playlist. Aaron's fans voted him to victory in our monthly song contest.”

WTIP Radio [August 2020]

“Aaron Tinjum has bounced between Texas, Washington D.C., and Minnesota on his musical journey as a songwriter. He joins host Will Moore via the internet from his home in St. Paul to performs some new songs from his latest record "Zinger.”

Hometown Sounds [December 2016]

"Singer-songwriter Aaron Tinjum and his band The Tangents certainly made an interesting choice for the first music video from their newest full length album Foreign & Domestic. “Oslo, California”, a moody ballad suggesting heartbreak and loss, gets a lighthearted twist from animators Nathan Poljak and Kaitlyn Colhouer. The video depicts an adorable troll stuck in traffic, wistfully remembering better times."

THE MODERN FOLK MUSIC OF AMERICA [JANUARY 2016]

"DC based folk rockers aaron tinjum and the tangents have a brand new album out now called 'foreign and domestic'. the well developed songs deal with themes of travel and relationships, a perennial favorite subject matter for rootsy singer/songwriters.

the production is full-on contemporary americana, which fits the material like a glove. the bitter, broken-love tune 'queen double standard', which contains the titular 'foreign and domestic' line in its lyrics, is a great 'folk/rock break-up song with DC vibes', a category i had not thought of before."

BUCKET FULL OF NAILS [JANUARY 2016]

"With the release of their new album, Foreign & Domestic, slated for tomorrow, Washington, DC’s Aaron Tinjum and the Tangents chatted with Bucket Full of Nails, extolling the virtues of Bavarian construction while exposing the band members’ embarrassing album purchases and the questionable practice of using social media to name your band.

The answers provided by Aaron, Katie and Andrews Berglund and Cote to our 8 Questions proved much lighter in tone than the songs on Foreign & Domestic. A lyrical diary of travel, rebuke, personal growth and soured tastebuds, the album is beautiful and striking at every turn."

Takoma Park Folk Festival [August 2014]

"Aaron Tinjum and the Tangents deliver Texas-tinged folk-rock music with heavy-hitting lyrics. The group recently relocated to D.C. from Austin, Texas, where they were awarded their own musical day – and they’re now ready to make a splash here.

Aaron Tinjum and the Tangents are gearing up for the upcoming release of a new album, but Aaron was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. You can catch the group on the Field Stage at 11:00 a.m."

The Mad Mackerel [July 2014]

"Aaron Tinjum and the Tangents have released a new folk rock single called The Wild and Beyond, which they rather accurately describe as 'an escapist’s natural anthem.' Have a listen. Buy from Bandcamp here."

The Modern Folk Music of America [July 2014]

"washington DC's aaron tinjum and the tangents are back again with another new tune called 'the wild and beyond'. starting with some intriguing plucked fiddle and breaking out into an indie folk trot characterized by tinjum's high warble, the band really seems to be hitting its stride with this well produced tune."

Bucket Full of Nails [July 2014]

"Tinjum and the Tangents’ latest single, 'The Wild and Beyond,' speaks to neither city. Rather, it’s an escapist call to places far less populated, opting for nature over urban domestication."

The Modern Folk Music of America [February 2014]

"Singer/songwriter Aaron Tinjum is back with this video featuring an unplugged version of his maudlin tune 'yugoslavia' from his album 'mirrors in the dark'. the simple guitar and violin presentation works well for this tune."

Hometown Sounds [October 2013] 

"Recently singer-songwriter Aaron Tinjum actually relocated to DC from Austin Texas, swimming against the tide of those talented musicians who make their mark on DC and move away. You’ll hear the Texas influence in his newest music video for American Road, a song about dysfunction in America that’s right at home in this town."

The Modern Folk Music of America [October 2013]

"DC by way of austin, TX singer song-writer Aaron Tinjum brings us this dylan-esque blast of lyrical topicality that is quite timely at this juncture where the politicians we have put our trust in are behaving in such a disappointing manner. 'american road' chugs along much like something off of 'highway 61 revisited' but with a totally acoustic arrangement that includes some ripping lead guitar and fiddle playing."

Cityview Magazine [November 2012] 

"Other aspects — namely Tinjum’s songwriting and delivery — vibrantly capture the essence of really good acoustic folk. "American Road" in particular is a song that seems simplistic and even a little preachy at first blush. But as it unfolds, the track becomes rather Bob Dylan-esque with its jangling banjo and Tinjum’s wailing delivery. I’m certainly not likening Tinjum to Dylan, but "Mirrors in the Dark" is reminiscent enough to pique some interest."