Sean Cunningham

Sean Cunningham has never been afraid to evolve. Before reinventing himself with Whatever That Is — a wildly adventurous, self-produced solo album that blurs the boundaries between alternative, modern pop, indie rock, and lyric-driven Americana — the songwriter spent more than a decade in constant motion, releasing music with several different projects.

There was Atlas, the career-launching band that took Cunningham all the way to New Zealand, where the group's chart-topping single "Crawl" set a new record for the longest-running Number 1 hit in Kiwi history. There was The Cunning, the Led Zeppelin-influenced rock band that he formed after relocating to Nashville. There was The Whole Charade, the electronic EP that he released as a solo act in 2020, combining the digital soundscapes of Radiohead's Kid A with the pop melodies of Peter Gabriel.

All of that momentum leads Cunningham to his full-length solo debut, Whatever That Is, which does more than signal his next era as an artist. It nods to his previous work, too, pulling a thread from past to present. Largely written during a time of personal upheaval — including the loss of his father, the dissolution of his band, and a global pandemic — these are songs of resilience and rediscovery, with Cunningham singing about final chapters and new beginnings. Those themes are introduced by the album's title track, an autobiographical rallying cry stacked high with guitars and orchestral strings.

The remaining tracks are every bit as diverse as the musician who created them. The acoustic guitars of "No Strings" showcase Cunningham's love of American roots music, while the anthemic "Habit" pushes him into new territory, layering pop melodies with heartland rock & roll muscle, atmospheric reverb, and a chorus built for arenas. For an artist who experienced overnight success during the infancy of his career, Cunningham proves his staying power with Whatever That Is, an album that rebrands the songwriter as a musical lifer willing to rebuild, reimagine, and discover himself over and over again.