[4][5] He released the record independently in 2010, catching the attention of NPR, which called his song "My Father's Son" a "modern folk gem,"[6] and the World Cafe, which featured him in their emerging artist series "Next.

"[7] D'Amato followed it up with another home recording, Paper Back Bones, which made BBC Scotland's Best Americana Albums of 2012,[8] and was described by host Ricky Ross as "one of [our] favourites of all time.

"[9] In 2014, D'Amato released his New West Records debut, The Shipwreck From The Shore, which was inspired in part by his time studying with the Pulitzer Prize-winning Irish poet Paul Muldoon[10] and earned widespread critical acclaim, with NPR noting that "he writes in the tradition of Bruce Springsteen or Josh Ritter"[11] and USA Today saying it "strikes every right note.

"[12] The album was recorded with producer Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Langhorne Slim) at The Great North Sound Society in Maine with members of Bon Iver and Megafaun.

[22] D'Amato's latest album, 2022's At First There Was Nothing, marked his debut release for the Blue Rose label[23] and earned similar acclaim, with American Songwriter calling it "a new masterpiece"[24] and Mojo awarding it four stars.