Goodness me! June already. Where has the time gone? One minute it was winter, leaden skies delivering rain almost daily, and then suddenly it was summer, leaden skies delivering more rain daily. Ah, well, at least we had one hot week, and what better way to cheer up a wet day in June than to turn our attentions to the new selection of EPs that have arrived on my desk. Once again, we have an eclectic mix, not necessarily high numerically, but most definitely high on quality. So, without further ado, let’s feed our americana music habit and, of course, find out which of these new releases has won the coveted ‘EP of the Month’ award.
We’re starting this month with the debut self-titled five-track EP from St. Moon, comprising French musician Alex Keiling, better known to many as a member of The Wooden Wolf, along with Julian Tröndle and Louis Gross, two German musicians from the band Lambs & Wolves. This cross-border project began back in 2024, and though their musical paths had previously taken quite different directions, there were enough shared influences, such as Bill Callahan, Jason Molina, and Low, for the collaboration to come together and create a truly unique sound that blends folk with slowcore. Lead vocals here are shared equally between Keiling and Tröndle and complement each other perfectly, while Keiling’s guitar and violin deliver much of the tension against Tröndle’s expressive piano playing, all underpinned by the rhythmic pulse from Gross’ percussion. Musically, the trio take much of their inspiration from the 1990s slowcore, with the americana flavouring being supplied through the melodies that deliver a scattering of monochromatic images to the narrative’s melancholic optimism. The opening number, Water, evokes Molina mining Neil Young, while Friends of Mine makes excellent use of the wonderful vocal interplay. Third track, Things I Lost in the Fire, is an unashamed reference to one of their main influences, Low, while the mantra-infused Fanal, with its foreboding hypnotic intensity, is possibly the EP highlight, though closing number, Child of God, is an intriguing cover of an obscure track from Josephine Foster. One can only surmise what this trio’s future intention for St. Moon might be, whether to pursue musical horizons across the Atlantic or simply return to the day job. However, based on this excellent debut offering, one can only hope that this is just the start of a long-term musical collaboration, and this EP comes highly recommended.
Promises is the new four-track EP from folk duo Paper Verses. Based in Kent, UK, and comprising classically trained Simone Lincoln and seasoned musician Matt Evans, this new release is the second offering from Paper Verses this year, with their debut EP Life Lines creating a major level of excitement when reviewed in February’s EP Round-Up article. The four new tracks that make up their sophomore release find the duo building on all the perceived potential with songs that explore the dysfunction, longing, and hope within relationships. From the outset, one is immediately reminded of the duo’s intricate melodies and two-part harmonies, Lincoln’s vocals evoking a timeless quality that encourages comparison to such luminaries as Shirley Collins, Jacqui McShee and even Sandy Denny, though in truth her sound is uniquely her own, while Evans’ flat-picking guitar style would be the envy of most. The EP opens with the recent single Saturday, an unsentimental love song of tempered expectations, pragmatism, and hope. The following number, Life and how to live it, might just be the duo’s most powerful work to date, a lament on the search for meaning and the way our experiences can erode the hopes we might have started with, complemented by the gentle hum of a harmonium throughout. Family Song serves as the centrepiece of the EP, focusing on the challenges of family life and how we each play our part in the repeating patterns, with the realisation that the status quo will continue regardless. The intriguingly titled and impressive Backstarting closes this wonderful quartet of classic folk vignettes, with the help of some delightful pedal steel from the legendary BJ Cole, that collectively encapsulates all the potential the couple displayed with their debut release, but now with a greater sense of identity. The duo will be performing at the Sandwich Folk Festival in July and at the Broadstairs Folk Week in August, so catch them if you can, for Paper Verses are very much the real deal, and their EP Promises is another that comes highly recommended.
Following on, we have the debut five-track EP from David J Hinson entitled Better Late Than Never. Southwest Missouri singer-songwriter Hinson has ventured into the recording world later in life than originally planned, having only just released his first single at the beginning of this year, after decades spent building a career, raising a family and living a full life outside of music. Returning to songwriting, Hinson’s new material reflects his life’s journey, writing from the long road and not the starting line, giving his narratives a broader perspective, direct and yet less concerned with forcing tidy answers. The five songs here are very much rooted in the americana songwriter tradition that draws subtle comparison to Bruce Springsteen, especially on the opening numbers, firstly with Better Days, a reflective offering that finds Hinson questioning his path with the line “If better days are just ahead, then why am I always looking back”, a mood that is maintained on the equally impressive Place I Used To Be. The following number, Pete Turned 49, is a bit of an outlier with its emphasis on over-the-top heavy rock, though things fall back in line with the John Prine-flavoured Ada to Ozark that includes some delightful harmonica playing. The EP closes with Yesterday is not Tomorrow, its string arrangement softening the overall ambience, though Hinson’s narrative, as it does throughout, brings everything together with stories of long drives and hard conversations about who we are and who we’re trying to become. Produced by Justin Larkin, this EP marks a major leap forward from Hinson’s first single release, Unlearning to Stay, suggesting the best may still be to come from this late-bloomer, and it will be fascinating to see what the future holds for this very promising songwriter from Southwest Missouri.
Next, we travel across to Southern Sweden and the new three-track EP from Leading Edge, entitled High As a Kite.The band formed back in 2012 and has shaped its identity at the crossroads of Nordic folk, americana, and warm melodic pop, while along the way, creating a sound that is distinctly their own. After the release of last year’s single, Cynical Mind, the band has settled on a new line-up that brings us three new songs about people who have left their mark, written to process what is difficult to put into words, traversing a landscape where grief meets quiet acceptance. The title track opens proceedings, a playful musical arrangement that belies a deeper narrative of helplessness in the face of a loved one’s pain. That feeling of uncertainty permeates throughout the whole EP, with both Forever Yours and Silhouettes offering a sprightly musical ambience that constantly creates the juxtaposition to the intensity of the subject matter, forever striving to maintain the balance between heartfelt fragility and hard-won resilience. There may be only three songs here, but with High As a Kite, Leading Edge have reminded us all of the excellent music that Sweden regularly contributes to the americana genre.
Now, it’s back across the Atlantic, specifically Washington DC, for the new five-track EP entitled Somewhere, Anywhere, from Night Hawk. Following on from their highly promising debut album, Before We Begin, which saw the light of day during August last year, Night Hawk, named after the famous painting by Edward Hopper, are back with a feisty collection of songs that combines the intensity and energy of the city’s punk movement with the storytelling and finger-picking roots of mountain folk music. Recorded in four days, the band’s third independent release remains unabashedly eclectic, though now with a greater sense of cohesion than previous offerings, the result of road-tested camaraderie and a growing resilience. Leading track Little Pilot opens to the sound of Emma Chun’s violin before breaking into a hearty indie-folk rock ode to overcoming doubt. The following number, Other People’s Clothes, paints a slightly gentler, warmer variation, with a narrative finding solace in the anonymity of dressing up for a Halloween Party. The subtle percussive delivery from Eli Burckin, along with the dulcet tones of Colter Adams’ acoustic guitar, offers the perfect conduit for Settle In, before a slight change in tempo to the final two songs, Carve Out and Intuition, allows the friction between the instruments to match the tension delivered by the climactic narratives on fragile relationships. With Somewhere, Anywhere, Night Hawk has displayed a newfound confidence that takes their DIY spirit and witty, unfeigned storytelling to a new level, one that should lift the trio’s profile to a whole new level.
We stay across the Atlantic with the new four-track EP entitled Dog Star Sessions from Austin-based quartet Sour Bridges. Formed in 2010 by Long Island-born brothers Bill and Matt Pucci, who moved to Austin in 2007, the siblings quickly built a reputation for their highly energetic live performances, using a diverse range of instrumentation, such as banjo, fiddle, and mandolin, with electric guitars and a propulsive rhythm section. Their most recent album, Down and Out, which saw the light of day in 2024, was their fifth to date, and this new four-track offering finds the band delivering a stripped-down, live feel, showing the outfit at their most immediate and unfiltered. The EP begins with Bang Bang, which opens promisingly with a picked acoustic guitar and a lonesome fiddle offering the sparse accompaniment to Bill Pucci’s brooding vocals, but by the time the chorus comes around, the drive from the rhythm section has taken the song into a more familiar country-rock territory. The following number, Big City, with its acoustic guitar intro and interesting opening narrative, again quickly reverts to type, though one could argue that they are just playing to their strengths; but to these ears, the interest level doesn’t last to the end of the song. Similar accusations are levelled at the Who’s Gonna Love You, which, though undoubtedly destined to be a fun live track, offers up very little originality. The most interesting song here is saved until last, where the refreshingly introspective reflection offered up by Ajar takes the band outside of their usual clichéd formulaic mix of country rock and bluegrass, delivering a greater emotional connection narratively, along with a broader musical palette that includes some delightful accordion and pedal steel. It goes without saying that with Dog Star Sessions, Sour Bridges have produced a quartet of songs that will find strong favour with their already established fan base, for, in the main, musically it retains all their familiar browngrass, high-energy roots rock. However, whether it’s capable of attracting a new legion of fans would have to be debatable.
Continuing in the USA, we move to Virginia Beach and the new five-track EP from Josy and the Mind Readers, entitled sigh some more (because it releases endorphins and reduces anxiety). Indie rock artist Josy has been playing music for most of his life, with his talent and dedication earning him the opportunity to play with the likes of Jake Clemons of the E Street Band and tour with acts like Mae and We Are Trees. Despite this, he has always been on a journey to write and record his own music, and, with his own band, Ladada, began a solo project over a decade ago that eventually evolved into a four-piece outfit that, to date, has a string of albums and EPs to its name. However, while the band has explored a range of sound directions over the years, not every Josy song has been released into the wild. Which brings us to the Mind Readers, and five songs that stretch back from his high school years all the way up to 2025. Musically, the range spans from the lo-fi indie folk of Elliot Smith and Sufjan Stevens to the alternative rock of Pavement. Opening two numbers, can you hear meand from the outside in, are both strong melodically, while the third track, blessings of numerology, is darker, delivered with a sense of menace that conjures up comparisons with the early sound from Radiohead. Personal favourite amongst this quintet is hidden rock, where an energetically strummed acoustic guitar supports a reflective, dreamlike narrative that operates in a soundscape, not a million miles from Nick Drake, while some delightful piano from James Robert Smith accompanies the rousing closing track, shut it out. With sigh some more, Josy and the Mind Readers have delivered five songs that constantly shift musically, avoiding easy categorisation, and yet, as a body of work sit comfortably together and, as a whole, is a highly enjoyable listen.
Next up, we have Suffolk-born, South London-based contemporary folk artist Hannah Scott and her brand-new five-track EP, Threads. This new offering follows on from her highly acclaimed 2024 album Absence Of Doubt, and marks the first release Scott has both written and produced, working alongside highly respected engineer Adrian Hall, whose credits include Tori Amos and Anna Calvi. The five new songs here show Scott continuing to carve out her own musical identity that was so apparent in her most recent release, moving beyond the restrictions of the contemporary folk label, using a broader musical palette to expand her musical boundaries, whilst maintaining the deeply personal resonance of her narratives. Opening with the title track, a dreamy, americana-infused number that reflects on the enduring connection to her childhood home, Scott sets her stall out, guitars and piano accompaniment to the fore, driven on by a subtle percussive beat that delivers an uplifting vignette of a time gone by. The following number, Untold, is equally personal, but here the theme is grief-inspired, having lost a family member last year; this piano-led minor key melody finds the narrative exploring the quiet sorrow of loss, not just the physical loss, but all the stories, knowledge and memories that are lost in the passing. The picked strings of an acoustic guitar find Scott leaning closer to her folk roots on Days To Come, before the EPs oldest song, In Your Light, draws its inspiration from Scott’s mother, written as a fiftieth birthday present, which, with its inclusion of an excellent stringed arrangement, might just be the highlight amongst a wonderful quintet of songs. With Threads, Hannah Scott has clearly reiterated her position as one of the finest singer-songwriters currently operating in the UK, and this EP comes highly recommended.
And so we come to the unveiling of the winner of June’s EP of the Month Award, and this month it goes to Kosta Burgess and his debut five-track EP entitled The Heroes, the Poets, the Drunk and the Drained. Originally from Bristol. Burgess has been making a name for himself on the London live folk and blues scene for the last three years. Citing 70s Bob Dylan, Counting Crows and REM amongst his influences, Burgess makes plenty use of guitars, organs and mandolins to create a rich, acoustically driven folk rock sound. Narratively, each of his songs is a character-based story, weaving relevant and emotional themes of ambition, art, love, and belonging throughout in an ode to the grassroots music scene in the capital. Opening with Step Outside, a somewhat autobiographical tale with an infectious groove that sweeps the listener up with an intoxicating brew of unabashed americana. Okay, Burgess’ Bristol brogue, which draws a positive comparison to the iconic folk singer-songwriter Chris Wood, cements the geography firmly to this side of the Atlantic, but the musical arrangement and its organic flavour could just as easily emanate from Woodstock. The gentle refrain of Marianna Pt. 2 floats with a romantic lilt, with Burgess’ impassioned vocals offering a faint comparison to Richie Havens, while both New Dawn and Songs For Florian lean towards the more traditional singer-songwriter storytelling format, revealing Burgess’ poetic heart and melodic ear. The title track that closes the EP is a magnum opus that celebrates the London music circuit, stuffed full of characters, on the one hand ordinary with the same challenges of self-discovery as the rest of us, whilst at the same time capable of creating magic at any of the city’s small venues. Thematically, it draws comparison to Marie McKee’s classic song Panic Beach, though musically it traverses genres, Burgess’ delivery occasionally hinting towards Mike Scott and The Waterboys; but in truth, it sets its own benchmark. Recorded at Spiritual Records as part of an Arts Council-funded project, this is an astonishing EP, especially when you take into account that Burgess’ recording output up to this point amounts to just one single release, signifying an immense talent, and one who I am in no doubt we are going to hear a whole lot more of, and makes The Heroes, the Poets, the Drunk, and the Drained a very worthy winner of June’s EP of the Month Award.
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