A former housepainter, Hughes joined the roster of New West Records during the mid-2000s, having wooed president Cameron Strang with his diverse songcraft and ability to handle multiple instruments. Hughes then decamped to Silverlake, CA, where he crafted his debut album alongside producer Keefus Ciancia and songwriter Gus Seyffert. Priscilla Ahn, a fellow L.A.-based songwriter, performed one of Hughes' songs on her debut album in June 2008; one month later, Hughes made his own debut with the ambitious two-disc A Love Extreme. Hughes made a cameo appearance in the 2009 film Gentlemen Broncos, and in 2011 he appeared on actor/musician Jeff Bridges' eponymous country LP and Meshell Ndegeocello's Weather. In 2015 he inked a deal with Merge and headed back into the studio to begin work on a new full-length. The resulting Songs in the Key of Animals dropped in early 2016. ~ Andrew Leahey