American Babies defies easy categorization. The Philadelphia-based band shapeshifts between Americana, psych-tinged indie rock and classic rock—leading them to spots opening for Bruce Hornsby, Greensky Bluegrass, the New Mastersounds and the Felice Brothers, as well as appearances at Gathering Of The Vibes, Electric Forest, Bonnaroo and Peach Festival.

With such a chameleonic existence, it’s not surprising that American Babies’ founder Tom Hamilton’s guiding creative principle is very simple: He doesn’t like to repeat himself artistically. For the multi-instrumentalist, this mindset stems from a deep-seated need to always keep pushing himself as a musician—to delve into different lyrical themes and musical detours, and to explore potentially uncomfortable and unfamiliar emotional places.

“After you stop writing songs about standard things, then you’re left with who you really are as an artist,” he says. “Maybe you have to dig deeper into yourself, and talk about some shit that maybe you don’t really feel comfortable talking about—or that you’re not even ready to talk about. But that’s what you’re left with, if you keep challenging yourself.

“For me, that’s where I am I my career. I’m trying to find the deeper things inside, and to start scratching those itches and opening up those doors that I didn’t even really know were there.”