Having hugely enjoyed Wildwood Kin’s livestream from a farm in Devon back in October 2020, I was delighted to see the release of ‘Homegrown Sessions’, an EP with five tracks recorded straight from the show. It manages to capture the light and ethereal nature of their sound which made their stripped back online set such a pleasure to listen to when it first aired.

It was especially pleasing to find ‘Dakota’ among the songs selected, their version of Stereophonics’ hit single having always gone down a storm at their live gigs. They capture the expansiveness of the original well whilst delivering it in a much softer tone. Such gentleness of spirit runs throughout this record, and I would expect nothing less from the alt-folk trio. Their three-part harmonies are always a pleasure to listen to, and come through clearly and obviously here which, given the acoustic nature of their set, is perhaps no surprise. The recording quality may not be the best, but in spite (or perhaps because) of this, the rawness of their live performance comes through well. It is especially evident on ‘The Author’, where the amplified vocals resonate around the barn in which they play, capturing something of the rurality of their setting. But each song has its moments, the general effect being less all-encompassing atmospherically and more pinpointed lyrically.

‘Dakota’ is certainly the stand-out track on ‘Homegrown Sessions’ but it is great to be able to relive something of that magical Autumn evening through the whole EP once more.

Click here to listen and/or purchase the EP.

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Originally written for and published on Belles & Gals on June 1st 2021.

Featured Image (C) Wildwood Kin