Every description you read of Cade Hoppe, in one way or another, describes him as a hodgepodge between some of the biggest names in music, such as Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Chris Martin. And though the young singer may not be at their level just yet, there are most certainly bits and pieces of all of those people in his music. While not as energetic and exuberant as Jack Antonoff, certain musical elements of Hoppe’s instrumentals could certainly be influenced by Bleachers’ loose, modern-Springsteen-esque style. Lyrically, Hoppe’s descriptiveness could very well stem from being one of many to pour over the lyrics from an album like Taylor Swift’s Red to try and figure out, “how the hell does she DO that!?” Vocally, Hoppe’s range isn’t comparable to Martin, but the feeling and the emotional weight of the delivery are there. 

But, for real, Cade Hoppe has chops. He pulled off the almost impossible task of delivering a solid ORIGINAL Christmas song this past holiday season called “Home For The Holidays,” complete with bells, lively percussion, Home Alone references and Beach Boys-inspired harmonies. It was slim pickings in 2021, with really only Darren Criss, Ingrid Michelson, and Norah Jones releasing solid holiday projects, but you can add Hoppe to the list of people who got it right. 

On his debut pop project, Tell Me How It’s Worth It, also released in 2021, Hoppe displays his knowledge of the genre on songs like “Loverly High” and “On My Way Down” with catchy lyrical repetition, vocoder-assisted vocal harmonies, references to nostalgic nights full of makeouts and alcohol consumption, foot-stomping beats and rhythms, etc. 

Despite staying relatively low in his range, which is rare for a male pop act not named Troye Sivan or Greyson Chance these days, he pops up a little higher on “Click Boom Run,” another cut from his EP, even jumping into falsetto a few times. He’s not straining, and he could definitely float around that area of his voice more, but he just seems comfortable in Johnny Cash territory. 

On his new song, “Hurts,” Hoppe struggles with post-breakup blues. The kind Harry Styles sang about on “Falling,” which is appropriate, since both songs contain lyrical imagery about a bed; “I’m in my bed and you’re not here” for Styles, and “It’s on the pillow on the left side of my bed. Cause when you slept with me that’s where you put your head…. when it wasn’t on my chest” for Hoppe. Both songs also just refuse to relent emotionally. No hint of a light at the end of the tunnel, no “I’m not ok right now but I will be later,” just pain. Hoppe, admittedly, was the first one to walk away from the relationship, but it wasn’t an easy decision; 

“I don’t know how this works. We both walked out but I was the first. It’s not easy, cause for somebody, it always hurts.” He sings in his lower range throughout, but almost in a whisper, as if he’s trying to sing through the pain, or just verbalize his emotions to himself while still trying to keep them from everyone else. He’s just not ready. 

Musically, it’s much more upbeat than you would expect, but it still feels gloomy and slightly erratic. Even the instrumental solo before the bridge feels like a reflection of his hazy mind spinning thoughts and emotions around aimlessly. Though he tries to do something to try and forget, it is in vain; “I don’t know which is worse. Try to move on or to reverse. But nothing seems to be helping, it all just…. hurts.” 

Overall, it’s a well-written, well-performed, well-produced and relatable song with solid emotional choices that really pulls back the curtain of the healing process, which, at the end of the day, is different for everyone. Some days you may be fine, but some days you could be walking around trying to hold the tears back. Some days you may feel like you’re moving forward, then others you may have no desire for any sort of social interaction. It’s hard. It’s really hard. This song is Hoppe choosing to wallow in his own sadness and regret, with the omission that no matter what he does, things are not getting better. For him, it all just hurts. 

You can check listen to “Hurts” here, and follow Cade on social media via the links below: 

Website / Instagram / Twitter / TikTok / Facebook