Singer/songwriter Hannah Cohen shares how the tranquil beauty and natural splendor of the Catskills have helped her rediscover herself, establish new roots, and create her latest album, 'Earthstar Mountain' – a stunningly beautiful record that emerges from moments of stillness, clarity, healing, and a sense of home.
Nestled three hours north of New York City, the Catskills boast serene beauty: rolling hills draped in hemlock and maple, meandering streams through mossy gorges, and stars that shine bright enough to feel almost within reach. This region has historically drawn artists, seekers, and storytellers – not for its grandeur, but for its tranquility. It is in this setting, enveloped by trees and the passage of time, that Hannah Cohen discovered her home, and where her fourth album, Earthstar Mountain, began to take shape.
Cohen has always infused emotion into her music. From the dreamy melancholy of her 2015 album, Pleasure Boy, to the rich, bittersweet warmth of 2019's Welcome Home, her songs have long explored the space between longing and serenity, introspection and liberation. On Earthstar Mountain, the New York-born, Catskills-based artist reaches new heights in clarity, presence, and personal depth. “Anything can mean everything,” she remarks in discussion, capturing the essence of a record that embraces both the external world and internal journeys.
Released on March 28 via Congrats Records, Earthstar Mountain represents Cohen’s first album in six years and serves as a reintroduction of sorts. Named after a rare star-shaped mushroom she discovered growing on her land, it gathers songs deeply rooted in the Hudson Valley, shaped by her experiences and surroundings, honoring the slow passage of time, grief, love, and the lives we create. Written and recorded amidst her work at Flying Cloud Recordings – the residential studio she co-founded with partner Sam Evian – the album is as immersive as the forests that inspired it.
“There’s this undeniable energy here,” Cohen notes of the Catskills, where she has lived for five years. Its influence resonates in every note and lyric of Earthstar Mountain. Whether she sings of the subtle pain of loss in “Mountain,” enjoys the gentle psychedelia of “Una Spiaggia,” or conjures a disco dream world in “Summer Sweat,” her music radiates with a sense of place and purpose.
In conversation, Cohen displays thoughtfulness, humor, and openness. She embodies both the role of artist and host – enthusiastic about foraging for mushrooms and preparing wholesome meals as much as she is about songwriting. Her insights on nature, grief, community, and creativity are expressed with the same grace and warmth found in her music. Living in the Catskills shifts your perspective, she explains. “You’re experiencing life, and it comes out in the way it needs to.”
At Flying Cloud, Cohen and Evian have nurtured a space for artists – a sanctuary where musicians can create, rest, dine well, and immerse themselves in the music-making experience. This spirit of care and collaboration permeates Earthstar Mountain, a record made with intention and affection, honoring the land that inspired it. “We’re the new stewards of this place,” she notes. “There’s always something to learn from the mountain.”
Ultimately, Earthstar Mountain paints a luminous portrait of an artist embracing her entire self – the tranquility and the tumult, the sorrow and the joy, the solitude and the connection. It reminds us, as Cohen puts it, that “there’s beauty everywhere. Anything can mean everything.”
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**A CONVERSATION WITH HANNAH COHEN**
Atwood Magazine: Hannah, you described Earthstar Mountain as a love letter to the Catskills and the interconnectedness of all things. That seems like a great starting point. Can you tell us the story behind this album?
Hannah Cohen: Well, there’s a lot to say. I spent the last couple of years writing and piecing this record together while balancing touring commitments. My partner, Sam Evian, and I also operate a recording studio and host various sessions. I feel like I'm making excuses for the time it took to release a new album, but life gets busy. This record really began to come together over the last year and a half. Last year, I wrote several songs that pushed older ones aside – songs like “Mountain,” “Earthstar,” and the cover of “Una Spiaggia” became puzzle pieces that helped complete the puzzle of the record. I needed that time to marinate and live life. They say that when you’re not writing, you’re still writing because living experiences have a way of surfacing in your work.
This is your first album in six years since Welcome Home. You moved to the Catskills from the city in 2019. How do these two aspects connect for you – the album and your
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Singer/songwriter Hannah Cohen shares how the serene beauty and natural splendor of the Catskills allowed her to reconnect with herself, establish new foundations, and produce her latest album, ‘Earthstar Mountain’ – an exceptionally beautiful work born from tranquility, clarity, healing, and a sense of home.