On a Thursday night in Cambridge, MA, Hannah Cohen had The Sinclair floor packed wall-to-wall, a surprisingly diverse crowd settling into what quickly revealed itself to be the most low-key set of the year. Cohen, headlining Boston for the first time, kept things disarmingly casual, asking the audience for local recommendations (with Fenway Park and lobster rolls drawing playful boos) and jokingly dubbing the evening her “Tiny Desk show.” It fit. The setup was minimal: Cohen front and center with her guitar, backed by a keyboardist, and joined for much of the night by opener mmeadows.
But “minimal” doesn’t mean empty. mmeadows (Kristin Slipp and Cole Kamen-Green) added a whole other dimension, layering brass textures and looping electronics that gave the set a ghostly, almost otherworldly weight. It often felt like being pulled into a slow-moving hypnotic dream.
Cohen herself leaned into that atmosphere. “This is my Quaaludes show if you haven’t noticed,” she joked early on, and she was right on point with that comment. The pacing was unhurried, the lighting dim, the energy intentionally subdued. Instead of building toward high energy moments, the set had the audience settled in to sit with the songs as they unfolded in real time.
The setlist leaned heavily on tracks from her latest album “Earthstar Mountain,” named after a type of mushroom found in her home in the Catskills. Even with this 2025 album dominating most of the setlist, she made time for a generous preview of a few yet unreleased and unrecorded songs. Tracks like “Golden Chain” and “I Loved You” felt right at home among her established work, hinting at a next chapter that continues to blur the lines between folk and psychedelic.
What stood out most wasn’t any single song, but the consistency of the mood. From “Dusty” kicking off the night through the closing song “Rag” Cohen maintained a steady, immersive tone that never broke character. It’s a rare thing to see an artist commit so fully to a vibe without chasing bigger moments.
For a first Boston headline, Hannah Cohen hit all the right notes.
For tickets to see Hannah Cohen live, visit thehannahcohen.com/tour
Nathan Smith is a Providence-based music photographer and journalist focusing on capturing the special moments and unfiltered magic of live performances. Whether he’s shooting established artists at sold-out TD Garden shows or documenting the rise of emerging local bands, his goal is the same: to pull viewers directly into the heart of the moment.
His writing spotlights rising artists and local scenes, with a focus on telling the stories that often get overlooked. A lifelong music fan and musician himself, Nathan approaches interviews and portraits as conversations rather than transactions, building trust with artists so their genuine personalities can shine through. Whether he’s backstage, in the photo pit, or at home in front of the keyboard, he brings the same curiosity and care to every assignment.
Outside of his press work with Juice Box Press, Nathan works regularly as a photographer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as numerous bands in the Boston and Providence area. Nathan also plays violin with a local orchestra, follows Celtics basketball almost religiously, and is an avid fantasy reader.