Where to place Two Ways Home? Described as an alt-country duo, listening to their new EP ‘Closest Stranger’, I can definitely appreciate the addition of “alt” in the description. Consisting of Isabella from Vienna and Lewis of Gloucestershire, these two songwriters have come together to create a rather unique sound that appears to be inspired but not influenced by the Nashville sound. I say this because none of the four songs featured here followed my expectations. Each of them, in their own way, took a different direction to where I thought they would go. There is a complete change of tempo halfway through opening track “Best Part of Me” which takes you completely by surprise. “Push and Pull” opens with a big sound only to revert to a stripped back vocal performance moments later. “Don’t Give Up on Me Tonight” is, in many ways, a classic country ballad, yet there is something about its sound that is also different and unique to Two Ways Home. It is slightly frustrating that I can’t quite put my finger on it. Yet this frustration is also cause for delight. Whilst listening to the harmonies of Isabella and Lewis, I was trying to place them in my mind. I was attempting to hear something familiar, trying to compare them with a similar artist. Despite my efforts, I failed to do so. They are in a category of their own. Such is the significance of the “alt” that their categorisation as country singers doesn’t really do them justice, though this is certainly the flavour of their songs. It seems to me that this duo refuse to be bound by the conventions of genre and are not afraid to follow their own rules. There is certainly something of the European countryside in their music which no amount of American city life can flush out. Theirs is a very unexpected and interesting sound.

Click here to listen to the EP.

Featured Image (C) Two Ways Home