Guitarist and composer Hear The Colors – an artist with a defiantly unique approach to crafting audio soundscapes and other-worldly ventures that consume audiences – delivers a profound and powerful instrumental album this year, with the magnetic and mighty Rebirth.
Acoustic
Originally penned for a stage play exploring a 1960’s folk musician who falls in love with an actress, Butterskies makes note of Martin Leroux’s influences amidst James Taylor and Joni Mitchell, following the singer’s equally vulnerable and evocative voice, through a slowly evolving soundscape of subtle additional strings and peaceful summer imagery.
A breath of fresh air – organic and heartfelt, intimate and unplugged; the authentic sound of folk music and storytelling with purpose, pain, and possibility all scattered throughout its makeup. Roy’s Orb present a beautifully nostalgic, stylistically simple yet conceptually complex account of the human experience, with Phosphate.
What begins as a mellow acoustic number, soon evolves through moments of near heavy metal, progressive rock, and even electronic hard-rock. 3mind Blight is the genre, essentially, and these thoughts and creative outbursts form a melodic and enchanting tapestry of fearless revelation and vulnerability.
Poetic contemplations, seamlessly intertwining modern production tools and traditional acoustic folk music – KAI delivers an intimate reflection on romantic longing and desire, with Another Life.
UK songwriter and artist DiElle captures the essence of introspective songwriting, uniting thoughts of adventure, travel and storytelling, throughout the reflective and uplifting folk-pop collection that is Atlas.
Self-defined as the musical reclamation of Peter Bradley, a renowned Labour MP, Brandes leads with a softly rhythmic acoustic folk aura, these ideas and metaphors emerging as both personal and mysterious, while Peter’s voice effectively blurs the line between softly spoken and traditionally melodic.
Softly finger-picked folk-pop, a light layer of reverb, warm and distinct vocals – Bryan Copeland follows short lines of intimate poetry, for his soothing to brilliantly uplifting original single Hello.
Despite the personal subject matter, Montecruz is, as ever, rather masterful in writing his songs in a way that feels accessible to all. These emotions could be yours as much so as our protagonist’s, and that universal realness and welcome is key to building a song that naturally connects and stands the test of time.
Beautifully captured acoustic guitar and harmonica, an organic set-up with a bluesy undertone – Ben Gage masters the songwriting and production space for real-time folk music, with the wonderful single Corner.
From the 2024 album Who We Are, US folk duo Dan & Faith tell the story of a transgender boy taking on the modern world, through the acoustic warmth and lyrical longing of My Name Is George.
Upbeat and colourful country-pop vibes blend acoustic guitar rhythms and a summertime clap of a groove. Litt Bueno intertwines catchy short lines with distinct and expressive vocals, for the naturally uplifting earworm that is Deep Lg.