If you’ve spent any real time in Milwaukee’s live music rooms, you already know the name Gaetano Balistreri. The prolific singer-songwriter has lent his voice and songcraft to a small constellation of local acts — NeoCaveman, Mountain Ghost, and Fight the Heathens among them — but it’s his solo work where the songwriting really gets room to breathe. His latest, “Living In A Dream,” is a case in point.

Stripped down to acoustic guitar and vocals, “Living In A Dream” trades in the kind of understated, folk-leaning intimacy that rewards a second and third listen. It’s the sound of a songwriter who has clearly logged the hours — every chord change lands where it should, and every lyric feels like it earned its place. There’s no chasing trends here, no burying the melody under production tricks. Just a song, doing what a good song does.

Balistreri has always had a knack for writing tunes that feel simultaneously familiar and slightly off-kilter, and “Living In A Dream” leans hard into that sweet spot. It’s the kind of track that would sound just as at home spilling out of a corner stage at a Riverwest house show as it would soundtracking a late drive down Locust Street. Fans of Milwaukee’s acoustic and indie folk underbelly will find plenty to sink into.

Stream “Living In A Dream” on Bandcamp below, and while you’re there, do the guy a solid and toss a few bucks his way — this is exactly the kind of local songwriting that deserves to stay in your rotation.

https://gaetanobalistreri.bandcamp.com/album/living-in-a-dream