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Peter Silberman

Peter Silberman is an musician, , and best known as the founder, lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the band The Antlers. Silberman launched The Antlers as a solo project in , , in 2007, releasing sparse acoustic albums and EPs before expanding it into a full band with multi-instrumentalist Darby Cicci and percussionist Michael Lerner. The band's breakthrough came with the 2009 Hospice on Frenchkiss Records, a critically acclaimed work exploring themes of , , and emotional intimacy through layered soundscapes and introspective lyrics. Subsequent albums like Burst Apart (2011) and Familiars (2014), both released on Anti- Records, marked a shift to more expansive, professional production while maintaining the band's signature blend of , , and spiritual undertones influenced by texts such as the Tibetan Book of the Dead. In the mid-2010s, Silberman faced significant challenges, including a sudden hearing impairment in his left ear that caused temporary total loss, severe , and noise sensitivity, prompting a relocation from to the quieter area for recovery. This experience deeply informed his debut solo album, Impermanence (2017, Anti- and ), a minimalist six-track cycle of songs—featuring titles like "Karuna," "," "," and ""—that meditates on healing, mortality, compassion, and impermanence through sparse arrangements, mantras, and acoustic instrumentation including guitar, , pedal steel, and Tibetan bowl. Produced and engineered by Principe at People Teeth studio in , and mixed on aged tape by Andrew Dunn, the album continues the emotional and spiritual odyssey from The Antlers' catalog while emphasizing personal transition and non-violent introspection. Silberman's work often draws from broader influences, reflecting a rejection of strict religious upbringing in favor of universal themes of , , and , as seen in The Antlers' meditative and hopeful tones across their discography. He has performed extensively, including NPR Tiny Desk Concerts and tours across the , , and Europe, and continues to contribute to The Antlers' releases, such as Green to Gold (2021) and Blight (2025), while exploring ambient and solo ambient projects like the 2016 EP Transcendless Summer.

Biography

Early life and education

Peter Silberman was born in 1986 and grew up in . Raised in a Jewish household, he attended and underwent a bar mitzvah ceremony, but by age 13, he had begun to question the teachings and distanced himself from organized , later exploring broader spiritual influences outside traditional frameworks. Silberman initially enrolled at , where he studied for a semester before transferring to (NYU) in , motivated by a desire to be in a more vibrant urban environment conducive to his growing interest in music recording. He graduated from NYU's College of Arts and Science in 2008. During his time at NYU, Silberman balanced coursework with intensive music production, often using class notebooks to jot down song lyrics and ideas, and he moved to shortly after starting college, marking the beginning of his relocation from his hometown.

Personal life

Silberman experienced a tumultuous in the late that profoundly influenced his songwriting, particularly the 2009 album by The Antlers, which he has described as a for an emotionally abusive relationship rather than a literal . In reflecting on the experience years later, he noted a shift in perspective, recognizing his own role in the relationship's dynamics and using it to explore themes of caregiving and loss. In 2014, Silberman developed a sudden hearing impairment, diagnosed as , , and (a variant of Meniere's disease), resulting in temporary total in one ear and extreme sensitivity to everyday sounds, including his own voice. This condition forced him to pause his career with The Antlers and relocate from to in 2015 for a quieter environment, where he focused on recovery through reading about impermanence and composing subdued music. By 2017, his symptoms had subsided to manageable levels, enabling the release of his solo album Impermanence, though he continues to use earplugs during performances to protect his hearing. As of 2025, Silberman reports that his hearing has largely recovered, but he remains cautious about sound exposure given its potential to disrupt a musician's life. Silberman resides in upstate New York, a move that has shaped his appreciation for nature and its cycles, as reflected in later Antlers works like Green to Gold (2021). He is married, and his wife’s sensitivity to insects and animals has influenced his growing compassion toward the natural world, a theme evident in the 2025 album Blight.

Musical career

The Antlers

The Antlers is an American indie rock band formed in Brooklyn, New York, primarily as the solo project of singer-songwriter Peter Silberman. Silberman, originally from Somers, New York, began the project around 2006 during a period of home recording, drawing inspiration from Phil Elverum's Microphones project; he named the band after the song "The Antlers" from Elverum's album The Glow Pt. 2 (2001). Initially a bedroom endeavor, Silberman's early work featured lo-fi, introspective recordings influenced by artists like Nirvana, the Flaming Lips, and Elliott Smith, reflecting his experiences with social isolation following a breakup. The band's breakthrough came with the 2009 album , a Silberman wrote and largely recorded alone in his apartment over a year, inspired by his time at a children's and a tumultuous relationship. Self-released in June 2008, it gained attention through online buzz and features, leading to a remastered by Frenchkiss in 2009; during its creation, drummer Michael Lerner and multi-instrumentalist Darby Cicci joined as permanent members, transforming the project into a full trio. The album's themes of , , and emotional dependency earned critical acclaim, including Pitchfork's "Best New Music" designation and an 8.5 rating, establishing The Antlers' signature sound of grandiose, atmospheric with Silberman's quivering and swelling instrumentation. Following , The Antlers evolved toward broader, less morbid themes while maintaining their epic, filtered-guitar-driven palette. Their 2011 sophomore album Burst Apart, released on Frenchkiss, marked a shift to explorations of and relational strain, earning Pitchfork's Best New Music honor and wider recognition for its intimate yet expansive arrangements. The 2014 album Familiars (Anti- Records) further refined their sound with jazz-inflected rhythms and domestic introspection, as Silberman drew from personal recovery post-breakup. By this point, the band had solidified as Silberman (vocals/guitar), Lerner (drums), and Cicci (keys/multi-instruments), touring internationally and building a dedicated following. After Familiars, The Antlers entered a hiatus as Silberman confronted severe health challenges, including tinnitus, vocal lesions, and exhaustion, prompting him to pause band activities for recovery through meditation, gardening, and a solo album, Impermanence (2017). They reconvened for Green to Gold (2021, Anti- Records), their first release in seven years, which embraced pastoral themes of acceptance and seasonal change, recorded in upstate New York with field recordings and orchestral elements; it received a 7.4 from Pitchfork and marked a peaceful evolution. In 2025, the band released Blight (Transgressive), their seventh studio album, addressing eco-grief and climate catastrophe through slow, sorrowful tracks conceived during Silberman's walks in rural New York, reaffirming their active status as a trio focused on environmental urgency.

Solo career

Peter Silberman's solo career emerged in the mid-2010s, distinct from his work with The Antlers, as he explored more intimate and experimental soundscapes influenced by personal health challenges. In , he released the ambient instrumental EP Transcendless Summer on Anti- Records, recorded in a single afternoon with engineer Tim Shrout using modular synthesizers and field recordings to create a meditative, 20-minute piece divided into four untitled tracks. This EP marked an early foray into solo territory, emphasizing atmospheric textures over traditional song structures. Later that year, Silberman issued the "Slips Away," a melancholic track featuring his signature vocals and sparse instrumentation, which previewed the introspective style of his forthcoming full-length release. Silberman's debut solo album, Impermanence, arrived in 2017 on Anti- Records, comprising six tracks: "Karuna," "New York," "Gone Beyond," "Maya," "Ahimsa," and "Impermanence." The album was born out of a period of sudden hearing loss and tinnitus that left him with temporary total deafness in one ear, prompting a retreat to a quiet home in upstate New York for recovery and reflection. Recorded at People Teeth studio in Saugerties, New York, with producer Nicholas Principe and mixed by Andrew Dunn—who incorporated aged tape effects for a warm, analog feel—the record features minimal arrangements centered on acoustic guitar, voice, and subtle electronics. Themes of transience, healing, and the interplay between pain and peace permeate the songs, drawing from Buddhist concepts like karuna (compassion) and maya (illusion), while continuing the emotional depth of Silberman's Antlers work without the band's full-band dynamics. Impermanence received acclaim for its vulnerability and sonic restraint, with Silberman performing selections during an Tiny Desk Concert in 2017, highlighting the album's slow-building intensity. In subsequent years, elements of his solo material intersected with The Antlers, such as the band's 2022 single "", a rerecording of the track from Impermanence, but Silberman has not released additional solo albums as of 2025. His solo output remains focused on these 2016–2017 projects, underscoring a phase of personal artistic introspection amid ongoing band commitments.

Discography

Studio albums

Peter Silberman's sole solo studio album to date is Impermanence, released on February 24, 2017, through Anti- and Transgressive Records. The album was written and recorded in the aftermath of Silberman's sudden hearing loss and debilitating tinnitus, which forced him to confront silence and impermanence in a secluded upstate New York cabin. Drawing from Buddhist concepts, it explores themes of healing, compassion, and non-attachment through sparse, acoustic arrangements featuring fingerpicked guitar, subtle percussion, and Silberman's falsetto vocals. Produced by Nicholas Principe at People Teeth studio in Saugerties, New York, and mixed by Andrew Dunn, the record marks a departure from the denser sound of his work with The Antlers, emphasizing minimalism and emotional intimacy. The album comprises six tracks, each evoking stages of recovery and philosophical reflection:
Track TitleDuration
Karuna8:47
3:28
Gone Beyond8:17
5:12
6:56
Impermanence3:20
Lead single "Karuna," released in advance, highlights the album's meditative quality with its layered harmonies and reverb-drenched guitar. Recorded across locations including , , and , , the sessions prioritized an "economy of expression" to mirror Silberman's auditory challenges. Critically, Impermanence received praise for its introspective depth and sonic restraint, though some noted its demands on listeners' patience. described it as a "spare album that asks for a lot of patience," rating it 6.9 out of 10 and commending Silberman's "operatic angst" in tracks like "," while critiquing its self-imposed limitations. The record has been viewed as a natural extension of The Antlers' emotional narratives, particularly from albums like (2009), but tailored to Silberman's personal odyssey of rehabilitation.

EPs

Peter Silberman's early extended plays were released under the moniker of his band The Antlers, during its formative solo phase. The first, , was issued in October 2007 as a digital release containing three tracks: "East River Berlin Wall," a cover of Beach House's "Apple Orchard," and the title track "Cold War," which explores themes of through lo-fi arrangements. This was followed by New York Hospitals in June 2008, another three-track digital EP created for the blog Suck Toasted to promote the band's upcoming album . It features covers of ' "Nothing Matters When We're Dancing" and Yo La Tengo's "Tears Are in Your Eyes," alongside an original introduction titled "," blending ambient and folk elements. In his solo career, Silberman released Transcendless Summer on September 16, 2016, via Anti- Records as a four-track ambient EP recorded in a single afternoon with engineer Tim Shrout. The tracks, simply titled "i," "ii," "iii," and "iv," total approximately 20 minutes and serve as a meditative prelude to his debut solo album Impermanence, emphasizing sparse, atmospheric soundscapes.

Singles

Peter Silberman's solo career includes a limited number of standalone singles, most of which were released to promote his debut album Impermanence (2017). These tracks reflect his shift toward introspective, minimalistic songwriting influenced by personal experiences with and . The initial solo single, "Slips Away," was released on November 3, 2016, featuring gentle and ethereal vocals that previewed the album's themes of transience. "Karuna," released on December 1, 2016, served as the lead single for Impermanence, drawing its title from the word for and exploring disassembly and decay through sparse instrumentation. In January 2017, "" was issued as the second single, capturing a sense of urban longing with subtle and harmonies. The final pre-album single, "Ahimsa," arrived on February 17, 2017, emphasizing non-violence and restraint in its lyrical and musical approach, aligning with the album's spiritual undertones.
TitleRelease DateAlbum/Source
Slips AwayNovember 3, 2016Impermanence (2017)
KarunaDecember 1, 2016Impermanence (2017)
January 11, 2017Impermanence (2017)
February 17, 2017Impermanence (2017)

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