Kristin Daelyn is a Philadelphia-based indie folk artist and fingerstyle guitarist whose work melds introspective lyricism with intricate acoustic embroidery to shape delicate, contemplative soundscapes. Grounded in folk yet unbound by tradition, her music evokes quiet corners of memory and spaces where nostalgia, presence, and emotional subtlety coexist in equal measure.
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Daelyn’s deeply reflective songwriting and refined guitar work are on full display in her second full-length album Beyond The Break (Orindal Records), released February 28, 2025, a collection of meditative folk songs and instrumentals that draw inspiration from solo guitar luminaries like Leo Kottke and John Fahey as well as poets such as Mary Oliver. Through these eight compositions, she interweaves spectral melodies, pop-inflected hooks, and nuanced instrumental textures.
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Her earlier work, including the debut Gardens & Plantings, laid the foundation for her signature blend of introspection and emotional clarity, while key singles such as “Patience Comes to the Bones” and “It Came to Me Then” showcase her capacity to turn vulnerability into quiet strength.
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Daelyn’s artistry has been recognized within national folk circles and championed by outlets such as NPR and WXPN who highlighted her poetic storytelling and intricate musicianship.
Her live performances have brought her to stages across the US, where her thoughtful presence and evocative playing draw listeners into a shared moment of reflection and connection.
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With a practice rooted in simplicity and expressive depth, she continues to expand the boundaries of contemporary folk, inviting audiences into a space where solitude feels compassionate, and where each quietly picked phrase holds room for both solace and discovery.
Photography by Kyle Lang
BEYOND THE BREAK
Photography by Jay Leiby
Beyond the Break, the second full-length album by Kristin Daelyn, is a statement of rare tranquility and wisdom, atmosphere and grace. In these eight compositions, the Philadelphia songwriter takes influence from solo guitarists like Leo Kottke and John Fahey as well as writers like Mary Oliver, whose poem “Patience” inspired the early single “Patience Comes to the Bones.” Through instrumental pieces that highlight her virtuosity as a player and elegant folk songs that showcase her gifts for tender pop melodies and emotionally incisive lyrics, Daelyn’s voice feels both urgent and timeless. Like a well-loved paperback passed between friends, her songs are open to reflection and personal annotation, designed to be of use.
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Recognizing the therapeutic power of her songs after honing her voice as a live performer, Daelyn sought an intimate approach to recording. Working with co-producer Jason Cupp, she worked in her old apartment, tracking vocals and guitar simultaneously to ensure each song had a live performance at its heart. From these intuitive takes, she incorporated subtle textures in appearances from guitarist Dan Knishkowy (Adeline Hotel, Jackie West) and multi-instrumentalist Danny Black (Good Old War, Gregory Alan Isakov) as well as string arrangements by Patrick Riley.
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As a songwriter, Daelyn never shies away from heavy subject matter but her writing has a way of casting beauty around each phrase, summoning meaning that extends beyond language. “We all share similar heartaches and desires,” she reflects on her inspiration. “I started thinking about our relationship with longing. The further the distance between ourselves and the thing that we want, the greater the tension.” Tracing a general arc from weary acceptance to forward momentum, her songs tell stories of love and loss that feel cosmic in scope yet alluringly hushed in their delivery.
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Since her debut album, 2022’s Gardens & Plantings, Daelyn has ventured beyond the ambient touches that made her work feel cloaked in cozy layers of fog. This time around, her soaring, spectral voice sits higher in the mix, and her lyrics take center stage, incorporating imagery based on her love of poetry and a creative practice that draws from philosophical texts and exploration of the natural world. The songs themselves, Daelyn explains, are often designed to create inhabitable landscapes for the listener, an approach noticeable in the open-ended language of “Longing.” “I don’t know what to call it now/That you’re waning in and out,” she sings before casting her gaze to the sky.
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With this newly visceral approach, Daelyn brings to focus her evolution as a guitarist. Focused as much on melody as the texture of her playing, she favors chords that leave suggestive space between each note, dissonance that never quite resolves and adds a tender shadow to her major-key melodies. In the instrumental title track, she plays in collaboration with Knishkowy on guitar and Black on pedal steel, resulting in a mood that blends the open-road psychedelia of William Tyler with the dreamy travelogues of Julie Byrne.
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“That’s the song where I realized what the record was about,” Daelyn says of the title track, drawing attention to the closing moments where all the instruments fade away, leaving only a hopeful motif that she plays alone on acoustic guitar. The result feels like emerging from the woods to see a familiar skyline, realizing you are closer to home than you thought. All throughout Beyond the Break, she creates landmarks from quiet moments like this: the layered, wordless refrain of “An Opening” that makes her imagery of a broken heart feel uniquely physical; the descending baritone guitar that gives “White Lilies” the gravity of an old country standard; the way she turns the title of “Wanted” into a multisyllabic, one-word hook. Speaking of her intentions as an artist, Daelyn explains, “I want people to feel cared for and connected… That’s all I want in the world, and I hope my music does that, too.” On Beyond the Break, she carves a path for us each to find our way home, knowing that the long, solitary journey is what we all share in common.