Nashville-based concept artist Courier is the brainchild of Lamar, Colorado native Blake Mundell. The one-man project started in 2015 when Mundell wrote songs detailing the life stories of his closest friends in secret, and then surprised them at a show in Nashville. The result was Courier's debut LP, The Present Tense. Its success launched what Mundell calls a "concept career," in which every song draws from the life experiences of others, rather than of himself. Mundell considers himself a songwriter first and foremost, crediting his career therein to the mentorship of Nashville greats like Tom Douglas, James Elliott, and Thom Schuyler. He spent his most formative years under their tutelage writing for country, folk, and CCM genres, but over time he found himself drawn back to his first love: pop music. Though his lyrics now come nestled in burning synths and soaring melodies, he remains earnest in his storytelling, unafraid to explore matters of hope and disappointment, love and loss, peace and protest alike.