Growing up in Santa Monica, Hutson began playing guitar at the age of 12, attracted to the experimental homegrown indie folk of Elliott Smith. He later formed the Americana duo the Driftwood Singers with fellow songwriter Pearl Charles, and the duo released an independent album in 2012. Hutson made his solo debut a year later with The Hell with It, which he quickly followed in 2014 with Yeah Okay, I Know. Over the next several years, he toured occasionally, released a couple of EPs, and continued to sharpen his songcraft.
After befriending fellow singer/songwriter Phoebe Bridgers in 2018, Hutson co-wrote several songs for the debut of Boygenius, the supergroup Bridgers formed with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker. He also contributed to the Bridgers/Conor Oberst project Better Oblivion Community Center in 2019. Bridgers returned the favor the following year by co-producing Hutson's third album, Beginners. His first since being signed to the Anti- label, the 2020 release paired the songwriter's warm, intelligent folk style with delicate string and orchestral sections.
Later in 2020, Hutson contributed his skills as a songwriter and instrumentalist to Bridgers' LP Punisher. He also found time to play on projects by Hand Habits (Fun House), Ada Lea (One Hand on the Steering Wheel the Other Sewing a Garden), and SASAMI (Squeeze). 2022 brought Hutson's second album for Anti-, Quitters, with Bridgers and Oberst joining him in the studio as producers. The low-key sophistication of the arrangements was abetted by their decision to record to analog tape rather than in digital format, adding warmth to the finished product. ~ Timothy Monger & Mark Deming, Rovi