South Miami artist delivers a daring record that blends indie pop, alt-rock, and personal storytelling with restless curiosity and craftsmanship.
-- Sunlit South’s own rising singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Harrison Gesser is set to release his debut solo album, Can’t Sit Still, on November 21, marking an exciting step forward in the young musician’s creative journey. The record arrives as a mosaic of styles — indie pop, alt-rock, Americana, synth, and folk — held together by Harrison’s restless curiosity and striking voice. Each song is like a postcard from a different emotional world, yet together, they tell one story: of an artist who refuses to stop moving.
Born in 2004 and raised in a household where rhythm and melody were part of daily life, Harrison was only five when he built his first drum kit out of pots and pans. His father, a musician himself, quickly recognized the spark that would become his lifelong pursuit. That drive carried him through years of playing in orchestras, jazz ensembles, and metal and experimental bands before he stepped into the spotlight as a frontman, drummer, and songwriter for the post-punk duo Emergency Staircase. Their 2022 release Rise & Shine earned a modest but loyal following, hinting at his future as a boundary-crossing solo artist.
Now, after years of study at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music — where he’s a jazz student on full scholarship — Harrison has distilled his many influences into a body of work that is unmistakably his own. “This album is a collage of all the music I like to hear and play,” he explains. “I chose the title “Can’t Sit Still” because that’s exactly who I am — in my life and in my art. I’m always moving, always chasing what’s next.”
Recorded largely at home and within the walls of the Frost School’s Weeks Recording Studios and Media Scoring and Production Recording Suite, Can’t Sit Still captures a rare closeness and energy. Additional overdubs and sessions took place in Miami, New York City, and Portland — a nod to Harrison’s roaming creative nature. The album’s nine tracks are a reflection of his curiosity, each one distinct yet connected by his melodic songwriting and fearless experimentation.
The early singles — “Just One Man,” “Mountain With You,” and “The Amnesia Song” — revealed his knack for pairing personal storytelling with inventive arrangements. “Just One Man” confronts human vulnerability and identity with quiet power. “You don’t need to be specific to have struggles in life,” Harrison says of the song. “You’re just yourself, your one self, and that’s going to feel amazing sometimes, and sometimes it’s going to hurt.”
In contrast, “Mountain With You” strikes a bittersweet tone — a letter to a lost love filled with regret, defiance, and longing. “It’s a song of heartbreak,” he admits. “You try to paint yourself above your pain, to tell yourself you’re fine without someone, even when you’re not.” Then “The Amnesia Song” blends fretless bass, cello, strings, and percussion to create the surreal sensation of forgetting oneself completely. “It’s not about meaning,” he explains. “It’s about emotion. Pure emotion.”
Among the album’s most anticipated moments is “Pangaea,” a powerful track that recently drew attention from media outlets like USA Wire and 1883 Magazine. The song reimagines Earth’s last supercontinent as a metaphor for unity and division, asking whether humanity might be kinder if we still shared one continuous world. Its success on streaming platforms hinted at the depth and range awaiting in his full-length release.
Harrison’s collaborators on Can’t Sit Still include a team of seasoned musicians and creative partners who helped shape his sound. His father and longtime collaborator Ronnie Gesser — provides the steady hand behind its intricate layers. Contributions from Jeff Pevar, Noah Hansfield, Winston Thayer, John Putnam, Dave Keyes, Marty Quinn, and Natalie Van Wrinkle, among others, give each song its own fingerprint. The music was built piece by piece — in living rooms, studios, and improvised spaces — by a young artist determined to make the most of every sound he could imagine.
Standouts include “Let Em Go,” a rich reflection on materialism and simplicity. “The Lord and I Are Leaving Town,” a wry yet sincere meditation on faith and hope and “Lesson of the Shark,” a surreal narrative drawn from a dream. “It’s based on a dream I once had about a shark that was born in my pool, who then turned into a 10-foot man and told me the truth about the universe,” Harrison says with a grin — the kind of statement that somehow makes perfect sense in his world.
Despite the philosophical weight in his lyrics, Harrison insists that his ultimate goal is simple. “I want people to take away their own message and interpretation all while singing the melody or feeling like they’ve just heard a really catchy tune,” he explains. “My end goal is to write good music — it’s the most humble and ambitious I can be.”
True to his album’s title, Harrison hasn’t stayed still. He’s been performing live with his band around the Miami area, carrying the same energy and honesty that pulse through his recordings. And yet, for all the color and motion in his music, there’s an air of mystery to how much he leaves unsaid. It’s part of his charm — an artist who prefers to let his songs do the talking.
“Can’t Sit Still” marks the arrival of a young artist with the skill and spirit to make his own path. It’s the sound of motion — of a mind searching, a voice growing, and a musician driven by curiosity and heart.
Be among the first to hear "Can’t Sit Still" — pre-save now and follow Harrison Gesser: Official Website | DistroKid | Instagram
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