Orion Cook listening back to the raw recording of a composition on Hummingbird Lane. **(Courtesy of Colin Friedel)**

Friends and bandmates Orion Cook ’26 and Colin Friedel ’26 released their debut album with no production team and only an Apple EarPods microphone as they spent spring break traveling across the Southwest.

The album, titled Hummingbird Lane, takes its name from the auto-generated title given in Apple Voice Memos, which is typically based on a user’s current address. In an Instagram post announcing the release, Cook said the name felt “fitting.”

Friedel, a member of the campus a cappella group Supertonic and the student band Dunk alongside Cook, described his musical history as something that came to him accidentally.

“I started playing guitar and singing my sophomore year of high school when COVID started,” said Friedel. “But before that, I never really listened to music.”

“And then freshman year of college, fall quarter Bandcamp, I made it my goal to be on the stage. I wasn’t very good at guitar or singing at that point, so I put in a lot of practice.”

Cook had a more conventional path to music.

“I grew up playing classical music,” said Cook. “I was in symphony and orchestra from age six to sophomore year of high school, and then quit during COVID.”

“I picked it back up because I heard One Million Beers play this one song that really needed a fiddle part. Then I talked to Colin about joining, and that’s when I really started getting back into music. At this point, I guess what I do is considered fiddling.”

Orion Cook fiddling in the Southwestern desert. **(Courtesy of Colin Friedel)**

The two described music as integral to their bond, with their musical partnership beginning at the same time as their friendship.

“We started hanging out a lot more when we started playing music together, it was definitely something that brought us together,” said Friedel. “Me and Orion have had a lot of fun doing more acoustic things.”

Cook described music as giving the two of them space to focus on what they wanted to perform in a more intimate setting.

“When you're playing on stage, you have to think about what other people want to listen to, as opposed to what you want to play,” said Cook. “I feel like we both listen to a lot of more stripped-down country music, so it’s fun to be able to recreate that on our own.”

Freidel described the decision to record an album as simple.

“We were gonna play music anyway,” said Friedel. “We'd obviously brought our instruments but I think we figured we have all this time, so we might as well or just record it so we can share it with others and listen to it later.”

Colin Friedel records guitar and vocals under the stars. **(Courtesy of Colin Friedel)**

The both of them expressed that they felt a lack of pressure out in the wilderness, and less of an obligation to create a final product that was perfect like their more lived experience in campus bands.

“Performing is interaction with the crowd and you definitely get energy from that,” said Cook. “But then I also try riskier stuff when people are more excited. And sometimes it sounds good, sometimes it doesn't.”

Friedel echoed that sentiment.

“I think with performing there’s the extra level of trying to make sure everybody else is having as much fun as possible which doesn't feel like a burden—it’s something we want to do and see—but it’s another thing to think about,” said Friedel.

The car the pair lived out of for 13 days while recording. **(Courtesy of Colin Friedel)**

Both Cook and Friedel expressed gratitude for the positive feedback the album has received and praised one another’s contributions. More than anything, they said the project was meant to serve as a time capsule of their college experiences.

“I think we’ll use it to help remember good times and memories,” said Friedel.

Cook shared a similar sentiment, citing his habit of mounting a GoPro on his violin this year to capture a performer’s-eye view of the crowd.

“I think it’s also a good way to share with others,” Cook said. “I’ll probably be talking about being in a band at some point in my life, and being able to pull up Apple Music and have that ready to go would be nice. I’m not going to be able to remember what that felt like. It’s good to have a record of it.”

The Logistics

Hummingbird Lane is available on Spotify.

Cook named “Cold Canary Gaslight” as his favorite track on the album. Friedel selected “Romeo and Juliet” and “Old Ties and Companions.”

Asked to describe the project in one word, Cook chose “gritty,” while Friedel chose “authentic.”