The Who: Rafferty (Los Angeles, CA)
The What: Between the capture of soulful swagger and bluesy rock stomp, as debut singles go, “Apple Pie” by Rafferty sounds and feels like time in a bottle. Produced by 2016 Producer of the Year Grammy winner Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, fun., Jay-Z), “It’s modern, but it summons those ghosts of tradition,” Rafferty says, and so does its video spliced with clips of Americana in vintage form: from bikers and go-go dancers to Steamboat Willie and Mr. and Mrs. Elvis Presley to California dreaming and Rafferty rocking live.
The Where: If “Apple Pie” sounds unusually familiar, that may be because it was selected by Apple for their iPhone 6 launch. At the moment, it’s his only release but an EP is on the way so stay tuned and keep tabs on Rafferty via his official website, Facebook page and at @Rafferty on Twitter.