Sean Tobin: From Jersey Shore to Nashville

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I couldn’t quite put into words what I felt after listening to Sean Tobin’s song John Wayne. It took a moment to realize that was the point. The song ended, and the silence that followed lingered, leaving its mark in a way the music itself didn’t need to explain. That sense of emotional residue sits at the center of Tobin’s songwriting, music that invites you in, holds you for a moment, and leaves room behind once it’s gone. It’s in that quiet space, between certainty and doubt, where this conversation begins.

Who is Sean Tobin?
2026

Raised on the New Jersey shore and now based in Nashville, Sean Tobin is an alt-folk songwriter drawn to stories that live in the grey. His songs pull from Jersey rock, Irish folk, and American roots, but are anchored by a deep focus on empathy, lived experience, and unanswered questions. Treating each record as its own emotional journey, Tobin writes less to provide conclusions and more to explore what it means to sit with uncertainty, growth, and change.

SONIQLOOX: Conversations Play Side A
SONIQLOOX · Independent Music Magazine · soniqloox.com

SNQLX: How did growing up on the New Jersey shore shape the way you approach storytelling in your songwriting, both emotionally and thematically?

SEAN: Growing up on the New Jersey shore comes with inescapable musical influences. Songs by Springsteen, Southside Johnny, and more ‘Jersey Sound’ creators are played in every bar from Highlands to Cape May. What I didn’t realize until I came into my own songwriting is how not only the sound embedded itself in my creativity, but the stories told through music. There’s plot. There’s characters. There’s lives lived in a 3 minute span. That’s what I wanted to do, all while entertaining a crowd. 

SNQLX: When you reflect on your earliest releases, what do you understand now about your voice or instincts as a songwriter that wasn’t clear to you at the time?

SEAN: I cringe when I hear my early stuff. But I think that shows growth. I wouldn’t be where I am now without them. I know now that I’m trying to philosophize in a way that I don’t think every writer is. I’m trying to ask the hard questions, and I’m trying to be okay with the fact that there might not be a clear answer. I’m trying to come to terms with the grey. 

SNQLX: What changes for you creatively when you write from perspectives outside your own experience, and how does that affect the emotional weight of a song?

SEAN: I think empathy is my biggest strength and my biggest hurdle. I try my best to put myself in another person’s shoes, which can result in feeling things that I myself might not “need” to feel. But I think it makes me stronger as both a writer and as a human being. It’s the most important process in fiction, because it makes the stories real. It makes the weight true.

SNQLX: How do you navigate writing about family, work, and legacy in a way that feels honest without feeling overly exposed?

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Shoegaze: Music for Staring at the Floor (and Feeling Everything)

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If you’ve ever heard someone describe music as “dreamy,” “washed out,” or “like floating through a foggy memory you’re not sure actually happened,” congratulations, you may have brushed up against shoegaze. And if your immediate response is “Cool, but what does that actually mean?” you’re not alone. Shoegaze is one of those genres people talk … Read more

Judah Jones: The Song Always Comes First

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Judah Jones writes songs with intention, starting from melody and working outward. For him, a song has to connect before it can reveal anything deeper. Shaped by the places he grew up and the music that surrounded him, Judah approaches songwriting as a careful balance between vulnerability and accessibility. He isn’t chasing perfection or over-explanation, … Read more

The Last Words of Shanghai Treason

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There’s a moment at a Shanghai Treason show where the line between band and crowd completely dissolves. Pints are raised, feet are moving, and whatever weight you walked in carrying gets traded, at least temporarily, for sweat, laughter, and noise. Rooted in Sheffield and unapologetically working class, Shanghai Treason’s self-described “Yorkshire flatcap banjo punk” blends high-octane folk instrumentation with punk urgency and sharp political instincts. They don’t separate joy from conviction. They weaponize both. What follows is a conversation about energy, humour, grief, community, and why sometimes the most serious songs are best delivered with a grin and a raised glass.

SNQLX: If someone walks into a Shanghai Treason show knowing absolutely nothing about you, what’s the first feeling you hope hits them before they even clock the lyrics?

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Come Together Right Now

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I always think of the Mr. Rogers quote in times of trouble: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” This time, though, the helper was murdered for helping. So where do we look now? We look to each other.We look in the mirror.And most importantly, we do not look away. We … Read more

Inside the DIY Mind of Hannah Geller

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Hannah Geller is the kind of artist the word “DIY” was meant for. Not as a buzzword or a branding choice, but as a lived-in reality shaped by bedrooms turned studios, kitchens turned merch warehouses, and long nights spent building something piece by piece because there was no other option. What started as necessity became autonomy. In this conversation, Hannah walks us through the freedom, exhaustion, vulnerability, and quiet victories that come with carrying every part of an artistic vision on your own. This isn’t a highlight reel. It’s the real work behind the music, told by someone who’s deep in it and fully committed to seeing it through.

SNQLX: You truly embody the DIY spirit — writing, performing, producing, managing. When did you realize that doing it yourself wasn’t just a phase, but the way you wanted to exist as an artist?

HANNAH: Truly, I have never known anything other than being a DIY artist. My first release in 2019 started as an experiment to see what I had the capacity to create on my own since I didn’t have the resources to record anywhere beyond my bedroom. I quickly realized how freeing it was to have the ability to make music whenever inspiration struck, and without the stress of paying for studio time. Sitting alone in my bedroom with my instruments and computer is where I enter my flow state and I can’t imagine making music any differently.

Over the past few years, that DIY mindset extended beyond songwriting and production. Once I understood how expensive it can be to build a visual world around your music, I felt compelled to learn the basics myself. I learned design tools like Photoshop and Procreate so I could design my own show posters and logo. From there, I wanted to turn my art into merch so I learned how to set-up my own merch business straight from my kitchen, printing and shipping each order myself. That led me to learn how to design my own website from scratch.

What began as financial barriers pushed me to take full ownership of my musical and visual identity as an artist, and I’m grateful for all of the skills I’ve learned in the process.

SNQLX: Your music feels both personal and expansive. When you sit down to write, what usually comes first — an emotion, a melody, a lyric, or a sound you’re chasing?

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