AUK’s EP Round-Up – August 2024

Well it’s August already, so time to checkout some excellent music that spans the spectrum of the Americana genre in our Monthly EP’s Round-Up.

For starters we have a tasty offering of stripped back country roots, rock ‘n’ roll from Everette, a duo from Kentucky whose new six track EP is aptly titled “Keys To Kentucky”. The duo comprises of Brent Ruphard on lead vocals, rhythm guitar and harmonica and Anthony Olympia on backing vocals and guitar, whose musical journey began in the college bars and honky Tonks of their home state over sixteen years ago. With one album and a handful of EP’s in their back catalogue that proudly showcase their swampy, electrified full band sound, they have now delivered a set of songs that are more organic, though not exclusively acoustic, rather less cluttered in the arrangement, that allows each song to breathe. Opening number ‘High & Lonesome’, keeps its foot to the pedal, with some high octane playing and singing while the addition of the resonator helps create a hint of bluegrass to this infectious number. The title track slows things down a little with its reflective narrative of lost love and as a heartfelt tribute to their home state. ‘Picnic Table’, delivers a hefty dose of swampy back porch rock ‘n’ roll, while ‘No Vacancy’, momentarily takes its foot off the gas to highlight the vocal harmonies and sweet melody. Personal favourites are the last two tracks, ‘Trippin’, where the acoustic guitars find a delightful groove that really cuts loose and ‘Another Man Down’, that focuses on the duo’s ability to tackle more serious issues with a weighty narrative, expressively sung, and some lovely fiddle playing to create the perfect level of tension. Excellent stuff.

Next up are the Oakland based duo Driftwood Pines, headed by multi-instrumentalists and songwriter I.J. Smith and featuring the percussions of Tony Daquipa. Their debut EP, entitled “Crimson”, is made up a four instrumental tracks full of captivating melodies that showcases Smith’s musical prowess on lap steel guitar and mandolin. Opening track ‘3 On A Tree’, offers a balmy array of layered guitars, acoustic and electric, that waxes and wanes with a rhythmic pulse, while following number ‘Sunset On The 1’, is full of introspection and nostalgia as Smith’s mastery on the lap steel floats across a bed of ambient synth textures. Third track ‘Truckstop Milkyway’, offers slightly more variety with some excellent mandolin played against a mystique of mellow acoustic guitars evoking the image of dusk’s transition to day, while closing track ‘Dusty Moon’, teases with its effervescent twangy guitar against an evocative sonic tapestry. With “Crimson”, Driftwood Pines have produced an EP, full of atmospheric layers that conjures up a unique style of Americana, replete with vast landscapes and long freeways that would be very much at home as the soundtrack to some desert noir, however on its own does struggle to hold the attention over repeated listening.

“American Nomad”, is the debut EP from North Carolina born and bred Adele Lassiter. Having suffered a broken neck in a freak car accident whilst studying at Montana State University, an incident that brought her closer to God, Lassiter would eventually move to Nashville to study and graduate (2009) at Belmont, the city’s premier University for all things music, taking the opportunity to perform at many of the open mic nights whilst there, including at ‘The Bluebird’. The following years saw her work on the promotional side of the music business before returning to North Carolina in 2014 and putting her own recording aspirations on hold. However, post pandemic has seen her re-ignite those dreams and with the help from the Baird Music Group production Team in Nashville she has released this five track EP. Things kick off with ‘Good Kind Of Reckless’, an upbeat country tinged rock song that’s followed with the travel anthem ‘Rendezvous Heart’, which leans slightly closer to Bluegrass. Lassiter’s faith is a constant companion in her narratives, as can be heard on ‘Population One’, written during a period living in Yellowstone County, as is the landscape, particularly mountains and canyons, which can be clearly heard on ‘Ten Sleep’. Final track ‘Midnight West’, attempts to lasso a vintage country vibe, but never quite convinces, which in truth probably sums up the EP, that despite its best intentions, more often than not, fails to hit the target, either in melodic structure or lyrical narrative, to garner anything more than limited praise.

Glasgow based Murdo Mitchell releases his third EP’ entitled “Cheap Hotels”, comprising of four tracks that deliver a delicious slice of authentic Indie-Folk. Having started his musical journey busking on the streets of his hometown whilst barely in his teens, and appearing, all be it briefly, on ‘The X factor’ back in 2014, the last few years have seen Mitchell’s career build in momentum, completing a second headline tour earlier this year. The title track which opens the EP, is stripped back to just vocal and acoustic guitar with a reflective tone that hints at Billy Bragg in his more mellow moments, though the Glaswegian accent here delivers a flavour that draws as much comparison to Paolo Nutini, but with heaps more attitude. Both ‘French Defence’, and ‘One Glass’, take advantage of a broader accompaniment, supplying each song with slightly more of a punk prospective, an influence most likely obtained from listening to his dad’s record collection. The former takes a nostalgic look at his Scottish upbringing where as the latter is more a youthful celebration of life, replete with fiddle to help cement the folk roots. Closing number ‘Should’ve Done It Better’, is 150 seconds of raw honesty reviewed in the aftermath of a failed relationship that successfully captures the essence of Mitchells live performances. As uncompromising as it is unapologetic, this EP sees Mitchell continue to scale new heights, and hopefully will garner him as much press coverage as his personal life currently receives.

“Man Atals”, is the new four track EP, from Swiss singer songwriter Timothy Jaromir and follows on from his most recent album “Hiraeth”, that first saw the light of day back in 2020. Like that album this EP was recorded in Switzerland with Giuliano Sulzberger overseeing the production that delivers a much sparser arrangement than on Jaromir’s earlier work, taking an almost archaic approach of recording live to tape, with no edits and minimal orchestration. The result is four tracks that rely heavily on the strength of the composition and lyrical narrative, offering up the duality of being both expansive and personal. The vocals are expressive against a stark guitar accompaniment with the occasional use of saxophone adding both the colour and the tension, of which opening track ‘Liminal’, is a perfect example. Elsewhere ‘Off The Grid’, gently injects a little pace, but in the main the laid back introspective ambience is rarely disturbed, instead allowing the aesthetics of each song to appeal to the subconscious rather that the superficial. Highly recommend.

One Adam One follow the release of last year’s debut EP “Where Do I Begin”, which received a very positive review in these pages, with a five track EP entitled “Monday Morning”. The St Louis based duo are made up of songwriter Adam Reichmann and producer Todd Schnitzer, who together formed the backbone of alt-country darlings Nadine. The EP opens with the title track that immediately sets the tone, with acoustic and Fuzz guitars, layered on a bed of lush synths acting as the perfect conduit for Reichmann’s impassioned lyrics and gorgeous harmonies. Each of the five tracks here create their own unique cinematic landscape, due in particular to the detail injected into the narratives, incredibly personal but totally inclusive. With “Monday Morning”, Reichmann and Schnitzer have taken that alt-country cool that made their former band so popular with those in the know, and added a new freshness to their finely crafted songs and exquisite melodies, creating a work of  rare beauty that, fingers crossed, will finally see them gain the recognition their talents clearly deserves.

As usual I like to save what I perceive to be the best until last, and once again it’s been a close run thing, however that honour this month goes to Maygen & The Birdwatcher and their new EP “Leap Year”. Originally formed as a duo with singer songwriters Maygen Lacey and Noah Neumann, they released their debut album “Moonshine”, in 2021 of which our very own Viv Fish rated a 9/10. Fast forward three years, during which time they released the EP’ “Bootleggin’ At The Flower Shoppe” (2022), and the duo have expanded to a sextet, with the edition of Nick Pellinen on banjo and lead guitar, Ethan Moravec on bass, Jesse Moravec on mandolin and fiddle, and Peter Anderson on drums. This extended unit create an eclectic mix of sounds that adventurously blurs country, bluegrass, folk and blues to create the perfect conduit for Lacey and Neumann’s gorgeous vocals and evocative songwriting. Each of the six tracks here are absolute gems, starting with opener ‘Right Where You Belong’, with banjo and fiddle delivering a bluegrass flavour to some exquisite harmonies and a vibe as warm as a summer breeze, right through to the closing number ‘Antidote’, with its fragile piano intro and Lacey’s reflective narrative that gradually builds in tension thanks to some delightful accompaniment. Personal favourite is ‘Old Dreams’ that brings the whole band together behind an infectious melody that has just enough pop sensibilities to have, if there’s any justice, smash hit written all over it. Surely it is only a matter of time until the name Meygan & The Birdwatcher and their songs are on everyone’s lips.