Tristen
Twelve years ago, Nashville singer-songwriter Tristen didn’t have to worry about the length of school drop-off lines or what type of shopping bags to purchase for her small business. She was solely focused on her music — and that dedication brought us her synthpop masterpiece CAVES in October 2013.
Fast-forward to 2025: Her store, frequent Best of Nashville winner Anaconda Vintage, is thriving, and she’s managed to master the fickle art of parenting. Now, after a three-year break from releasing new music, Tristen is stepping back into the spotlight with Zenith, an anniversary project born out of CAVES. Zenith features one reissued track, one newly released track, and an extended alternate mix of a CAVES single.
“I planned on it being a 10-year anniversary, but life got in the way,” Tristen says. “I think it’s OK to do an 11-year anniversary and take a little more time. That’s what we’re doing. We’re just kind of jumping back into remembering what happened then.”
The “then” in question is fall 2013 — yes, technically a little more than 11 years ago. At the time, Tristen was at the center of what she calls a “golden age” of local music. She reminisces about a Nashville where most people in the industry were being paid more fairly and creativity wasn’t yet tarnished by the music industry’s streaming model.
During the OG CAVES era, the synthesizer was Tristen’s best friend.
“Synthesizer is the representation of the real — the strings are the real,” Tristen says. “Bringing those together, the marrying of the robot … the computer, and the soul of the human — and that together in some kind of meld. That’s where the headspace was.”
Two more albums and a bout of nostalgia later,
Zenith is born.
The project — categorized as a single on streaming services, and available on vinyl as a 7-inch — consists of three tracks from the CAVES era: “New Punching Bag,” “Stimulation (I Can’t Get No)” and an extended remix of “No One’s Gonna Know.” The new version of “No One’s Gonna Know” features heavier guitar and a more raw sound. The remaining two tracks, however, have (almost) never been heard before.
Tristen rescued “New Punching Bag” from oblivion. The song was featured on a compilation that disappeared years ago, only for the demo to resurface when she was sifting through old CAVES content.
“When we were going through all this stuff, I’m like, ‘This song, it’s just so magical. It’s just so perfect,’” Tristen says. “And it’s such a picture of where I was at, at the time.”
“Stimulation (I Can’t Get No)” had a not-so-happy beginning. Friction during the recording process soured the track for Tristen, and ultimately caused her to cut it from the album completely. But the song proved to be another diamond in the rough of CAVES demos, and Tristen resurrected it for Zenith.
Even putting her musical endeavors aside, Tristen’s plate stays full. First and foremost, she prioritizes her children.
“You have to be able to show up for your kids … but you should never give up things that are yours,” Tristen says. “So you have to remember who you are.”
Second comes her small business. She likens owning a vintage shop to “playing the video game of capitalism” — but one she compares to recycling. As she’s noted before, participating in clothing recirculation is a more sustainable form of commerce.
But Tristen also makes sure to carve out “me” time. Without it, she feels an all-too-familiar ache of impending sadness — one that can only be cured by a few hours of uninterrupted music-making.
“If there’s an extra hour I can get for me, I take it,” Tristen says.
Tristen will celebrate Zenith Saturday at The Blue Room at Third Man Records. After extensive planning and a fan poll, she promises to pull out all the hits while sharing the stage with some fun guests.
