Me Then You is a stirring triumph of an album from Ehson Hashemian, a Southern California-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist also noted for being a founding member of The Jakes (now Young the Giant), and co-writing their double-platinum hit “Cough Syrup.” Now a successful solo artist, 2025 has seen a trio of full-length success from Hashemian — first with Bliss and then Believe, which caught our ears in June with its consistently melodic rock appeal. Now, Me Then You continues Hashemian’s string of successes, maintaining his penchant for stylish indie-rock allure while shifting to a conceptual focus, here exploring love, friendship, and hope.
“Back Home” commences the album with a brisk array of jangling guitars and debonair vocal immersion, which ascends seamlessly from the lower-pitched introspection into a more vibrant excitement. A sense of lyrical anticipation is conveyed by the former vocal delivery, while its expanse into a heightened effervescence — “don’t feel good” — achieves a replay-inducing glow. Subsequent track “Everything” maintains a steadier, hypnotic entrancement. “It feels like forever, it’s been so long,” dazed vocals admit, charmingly mellow as slight guitar jangles meld with percussive pitter-pattering. Me Then You opens with a dynamic, riveting one-two punch — impressing on both the opener’s infectiousness and the hazy shades within “Everything.”
Another standout, “Looking” evolves with trickling guitars and a vocal sense of searching. “We couldn’t find each other in time, and now it’s too late…” they let out, crafting a sound that resembles parts Vampire Weekend with a dose of David Berman. It opts for a meditative, more repetitious structural enjoyment, while the fantastic “Time Is Right” then reminds of Hashemian’s strong capacity for more rousing tonal evolutions. “There was a place where everyone could go,” his vocals emanate, reminiscent of Talking Heads as angular guitar twangs and click-clacking rhythms move into funky swirls and charismatic “ride into the night” vocal ardor.
Especially serene guitar work delights on “When It’s Over,” caressing in its layered twanging and elongated vocal comforts, while album finale “You Got It” succeeds in another stylistic realm entirely with its nostalgic electro-pop pulse. Hashemian’s catchy “you want it, you got it” vocal infusions and shimmering guitar tones bolster the electronic backdrop, continuously catchy and stylish. Me Then You represents another showcase in quality songwriting from Ehson Hashemian, reliably pairing relatable thematic pursuits with hook-filled rock productions.
