Fieldlily – Traces of Me

Fieldlily have bookended 2026 with the release of their second EP. ‘Traces of Me’ follows on the heels of ‘Grow’ and brings with it more of their soulful electric-folk. But whereas February’s debut felt like an outworking of introspection, this latest record seems much more intentional in its message. Each song crafted with simple and repetitive riffs and lyrics to create an atmosphere for listeners to heed their words rather than simply reflect on their experience.

‘Autumn Song’ invites us to see the colours “Glow red from green… / Making trails of gold”. Its few lines built up among layers of instrumentation to highlight the soft and subtle hope imbued in the season. Likewise, ‘It Will Be Beautiful’ assures that sadness and hurt will not last and something brighter is afoot as “the seasons change”. Fieldlily draw on the same bible verse as Raye to communicate this sense of hope:

“sorrow may last for the night / but joy comes in the morning”.

They do so however through a more mellow tone, soaking the listener gently in water rather than splashing it excitedly around. The theme echoing into ‘The Morning’ which includes a recording of rainfall as backdrop to their Carpenters-esque sound.

The title track is perhaps the closest to their earlier offering. A self-examination of ego and pride that finds “man made mountains… in the traces of me”. Their search for something more selfless and of humility finds hope in the journey, making it a present reality as much as casting a prospective future state.

It’s all very interesting and leads me to consider ‘Traces of Me’ to be a concept EP. Not as deep and impacting as ‘Grow’ but nevertheless a lovely and thoughtful listen.

You can purchase the EP via their Bandcamp here or listen on your preferred streaming platform.

Featured Image (C) Fieldlily Music

Maya Lane – Start of Something

Maya Lane’s debut album is gorgeous. ‘Start of Something’ is like the full and confident bloom of a flower that was only tentatively opening up on her last record, ‘Diary of an Overthinker’. Since that EP in 2024, it seems like she has mastered the art of lyrical storytelling and embraced a psychedelic form of Folk-Pop. It is easy to get lost in but not in a nonchalant way. There are truths here that strike at the heart. Comforting as they speak to reality.

After a short intro, ‘Cherry Stains and Dumb Flings’ speaks to a beginning and an end. The search for home when “home is not an option”. It is the status of many a 20-something, wrapped in Lane’s signature sound. ‘Sun Comes Out’ refracts a brighter note off its percussive and acoustic elements to present a healthy optimism. It feels closest to the title’s intent, with ‘Destiny’ following up care-free but not quite blasé. “If it’s meant to be then it’s meant to be” goes the refrain, and the saxophones sing their approval towards the song’s end.

‘Ruin My Life’ then changes musical direction as all but the acoustic guitar makes way. The high vocals help to create an ethereal atmosphere; the strings an expansive aura. Continuing into ‘Big Girl Pants’ and ‘Candy Store’, it evokes the musing of Georgia Ruth and the meandering of Al Olender – artists who, like Lane, are adept at descriptive and deft lyrics packaged in a phantastic, mesmeric sound. The latter track walks a brilliant line between vulnerability and assurance. Its honest assessment of contemporary dating offering an excellent companion to her previous single ‘Just a Girl’.

‘Good Company’ feels the closest to her EP. The introspection and self-examination found there in view here as “I ma[k]e a cup of tea to spill my feelings”. This quality first line sets up a carefully-crafted series of lyrics that hit their heights in a chorus full of marvellous contradictions. If the title of the album refers to the start, then this track is set in the middle of a story that “one day [will be] just right”. The bubblegum-style pop that envelopes it making light of a truth about herself that she accepts outright. Very different in style to the album’s closing song. ‘Enjoy the Show’ no less embracing of the present but communicated in a stripped-back melody. Story-led with poetic detail and words of wisdom to simply soak in. This is the best of Maya Lane.

‘Start of Something’ really establishes her as an artist of high repute. A British Kelsea Ballerini if comparisons are ever sought.

You can find out more about Maya and where to listen to her album here.

Featured Image (C) Maya Lane

Chloe Jones – Feels Like Fiction

‘Feels Like Fiction’ feels like the work of a seasoned artist. Yet this is Chloe Jones’ debut album. The Manchester-based singer-songwriter may have made waves with her EP ‘A Shore to Circle Back to’ but this latest record finds her crashing firmly onto the country music scene. Blending a mix of genres to rework literary narratives, she succeeds in transposing stories into lyrics before matching them with their appropriate sounds.

Having travelled extensively around America, the album opens with a nod to one particular stop in the form of ‘Old Orchard Beach’. The town in Maine provides the setting for what is akin to an old wives’ tale. Except this one turns out to be true. The haunting soundscape perfectly matches the Atlantic coast setting, with an eeriness that threads into ‘A Girl Called Indigo’. There is something about the Folk-based narrative upon a dark Americana underlay and carpeted with Blues that creates a magical, mystical atmosphere. Well suited to the hope and dream of a mother-daughter relationship that shares a love of literature:

“wind[ing] up in fantastical scenes / full of fairies, trials, wizards, bears and ghosts”.

As the album progresses, the novels with which Chloe is well-accustomed feature. ‘Dragonfly in Amber’ captures brilliantly a Scottish landscape in its soaring cello and fervent drumbeats. ‘The White Witch of Rosehall’, with its elongated strings and immersive percussion, transports the listener into the world of Annie Palmer and her Montego Bay homestead. And ‘Frankenstein’ communicates a retro-Gothic feel with an electronic edge that borders on the phantasmagorical. Each song is like a window into the collaborative nature of adaptation, as Chloe Jones’ love of the source material is honoured in her careful interpretation. Nevertheless, they feel fresh in her musical hands.

It is the diversity of her music that is as intriguing as these retellings. Unafraid to dabble in jazz (‘Something Wicked’) and include a piano-led ballad (‘Last Flight’), Jones is not boxed in by preconception. Elles Bailey and Kezia Gill come to mind when one considers the generic breadth on offer here. A spectrum which stretches, at the last, to old-time country. The crackling of a record player at the start and end of the title track is well-suited not only to an album closer but as a personal reflection. The literary inspirations of earlier now becoming an altogether more real experience as she “blur[s] the fine line of reality”. It is a beautiful moment of vulnerability. A fitting end, one might say, to the album’s story. A record which, I think, is one of the best to come from the British Country Music scene this year.

You can listen to Chloe’s debut album on your preferred streaming platform, or support her as an independent artist by purchasing it here. She is going on a bookshop tour in November 2026, tickets for which can be found here.

Featured Image (C) Chloe Jones Music

The Goudies – Hold On Honey

Listen to the debut album from The Goudies and it’s no wonder they are in demand. Supporting the likes of Tenille Townes and Amy Wadge, they are the perfect accompaniment to those most exquisite of storytellers. ‘Hold on Honey’ is dripping with wisdom. Ten songs that may be simple in their musical rendering but invite deep reflection lyrically. It is almost too sweet a record to consume in one sitting.

The first line of the opening track is enough to catch one’s attention. “Hurt people hurt people” is not only aurally interesting but neatly sums up the song’s subject matter. Through the lightest of acoustic touches, Sam and Beth explore a response to pain that is both honest and countercultural. The call to a transcendental love as that which breaks the chain both surprising and challenging. It certainly gives pause for thought. The first of many moments where a line or idea is sung and then sits in the mind.

The title track is another such instance. In which traffic lights act as a metaphor for life’s opportunities and circumstances. They say “there’s something good in taking it slow” and one knows that they are speaking from experience. The electro-percussive charge that accompanies the lyrics injecting a positivity that points to the value of waiting. In an age of consumption, immediacy and hype, this feels like an important insight.

‘Where We Belong’ is another that echoes with lessons from their past. Now based in Wales, the couple have previously lived in America and spent time roaming in a camper. And while, like ‘Kilimanjaro’, it references a sense of place, in context, it contrasts the notion of belonging with presence. In other words, it is not the where but the who (“with you”) that is key. Similarly, ‘Maggie’s Prayers’, on which Sam makes a rare lead vocal appearance, signals the importance of relationship. It is a beautiful ode, suitably upbeat, with plenty of heart and soul.

It’s hard not to get lost in their sound as the album progresses. ‘Make It with You’, for example, is entrancing in its lo-fi Americana. Think Motel Sundown mixed with Edie Bens and therein lies an ambling, refracted rhythm. ‘When This is Over’ is spine-tingling while ‘The Good Ones’ has the perambulating arrangement of an Andrew Combs or Martyn Joseph track. The effect is like sitting watching the sunset in a library, the books oozing their knowledge into the atmosphere. It is calming, soothing and thought-provoking.

‘Hold on Honey’ encapsulates what The Goudies do best. With the help of fans, they have been able to bring their vision to fruition, pouring emotion and deftness into a project that warrants their rising reputation. It is an album to savour. Rich in its flavour.

You can listen to the album on your chosen streaming platform, or purchase a copy from their online store here.

Featured Image (C) The Goudies

Izzie Walsh – Where Do We Go From Here?

After a couple of years away, Izzie Walsh picks up where she left off. Her debut album ‘Where Do We Go from Here?’ is a continuation rather than evolution of her sound. That familiar Americana – haunting and enchanting in equal measure – remains the defining feature around lyrics that shimmer with deep simplicity. Whether it be songs of love or loss, each features an arrangement of strings that is compelling. A repetition of lines that convey so much in such a succinct way. There are no broad brushstrokes here when it comes to variations in genre. Hers is thoroughly tied to a particular choice of instrument. The banjo, mandolin, violin, viola and guitars serving to create cacophony and contentment in the context of each track.

The biggest shift comes in ‘British Summertime Rain’ as an ethereal Celtic wave suddenly crashes onto rockier ground. The percussion punching through into a second half that retains the same repeating chorus as the first, but with more immediacy. As if the “hearts grow[ing] wild” abruptly burst into full bloom. Such shifts in tempo and temperament become a distinct style across all ten of the album’s offerings. But for all that similarity, Izzie Walsh produces a fascinating whole. ‘Where Do We Go from Here?’ asking pertinent questions about life in the midst of uncertainty. ‘Set Back’ a central pivot on which they hang, while the title track’s bridge offers something of an answer:

“All the times I thought were wasted / were only there to make and test me / to show me how to live and grow”

It feels like the result of some deep reflective work. Izzie Walsh encapsulating her findings in a set of songs whose ideas have ruminated in a mind now ready to let them go. All they need is to find those fellow souls who find themselves in a similar position, and when they do, ‘Where Do We Go from Here?’ will be like finding a most welcome companion.

You can read my earlier review of the album’s opening track ‘I Need You More’ here. To purchase the album, visit Izzie’s website here, or you can stream it on your preferred platform.

Featured Image (C) Izzie Walsh Music

Susannah Clegg – Good Times are Coming Our Way

‘Good Times are Coming Our Way’ is the title of Susannah Clegg’s album. An understatement if it’s used to describe her debut collection. For these ten songs firmly announce her as one of the stars of traditional country music in the UK. While many others blend pop with the genre to various extents, Clegg stays true to fiddle, double bass and guitar. Showcasing a versatile vocal alongside these trusted instruments, she crafts simple and emotive stories told with a stereotypical twang.

There is no better example of her repertoire than the opening track ‘Prospect Street’. It supplants the listener within the era of Hank Williams and Bill Monroe. Much like the Jaywalkers, Clegg does not so much pay homage to these artists as put her own spin on their popular sound. The result is highly evocative. ‘Put Me in My Grave’ walking a fine line between consuming love and melodramatic heartbreak well.

The fiddle is expertly adaptable, shifting emotions throughout. Its playfulness giving way to a kind of sorrow on ‘Tess’. The track is so atmospheric, bringing to mind the Gothic Folk of Toria Wooff. But it’s the chorus that is captivating – self-aware and observant, like a John Prine track – with the addition of some beautiful lines of verse featuring butterflies and moths. What Clegg does so well is include instrumental moments within her songs. They create breathing space not only for the listener but the lyrics, enabling the stories to be told with ambience that sets a certain tone. The title track, for example, turning from mellow to funereal and back again as a tale of tragedy unfolds.

‘Sweet Roses’ is a lovely little interlude before the second half of the album features recognisable tracks for those who have seen her live. Both ‘Caroline’ and ‘Colorado’ continue her penchant for measured storytelling, in ways that are highly memorable. Every word of the former rolls off my tongue after only a couple of listens while the latter is so engrossing as to be transportive. One can feel the ache towards the place which is then nicely contrasted with the fast-picking bluegrass on ‘Last to Know Blues’. By far the liveliest song on the album, it shows another side to Clegg which keeps the record refreshing. The subversive gospel of ‘Let in the Night’ to finish underlining her strengths. She is an artist steeped in the history of country music. But with this album, she most definitely makes it her own.

You can purchase Susannah Clegg’s debut album here, or listen on your preferred streaming platform.

Featured Image (C) Susannah Clegg Music

Zoe Unsworth – Old Time Soul

The title track is buried in the middle of Zoe Unsworth’s EP. But the artists it quotes are worth starting with to understand where ‘Old Time Soul’ sits. Dolly and Elvis may be two of the most obvious choices when it comes to country music, but their ability to cross-pollinate is Zoe Unsworth’s forte. Here are five tracks that span the decades, combining traditional sounds with elements of pop, and throwing in a bit of Billy Joel piano for good measure. Comparisons with Ella Langley are inevitable in the current climate, but the lyrical playfulness alongside genre-blending compositions are, in this instance, warranted. ‘Tell Tale’ and ‘Bless Your Heart’ are, in particular, full of clever lines to upend the two-timing guy and hateful antagoniser. Both utilise the fiddle and pedal steel to beautiful effect – the former tinged with regret while the latter laced with ironic truth. Meanwhile, opening track ‘Solo’ reveals her vulnerable side, with a compelling honesty wrapped in a gorgeous americana arrangement. And ‘Daisy’ loses the listener in a sprinkling of magical notes that weave together loss and acceptance. It is one of five stories here that reflect Zoe Unsworth’s ability to translate her upbringing listening to country music into playing and performing it. She does so with understated confidence. ‘Old Time Soul’ is a fantastic debut for this Manchester singer-songwriter.

You can listen to ‘Old Time Soul’ now wherever you get your music.

Featured Image (C) Zoe Unsworth

Rebecca Richards – Stories from the Stable

Rebecca Richards is an artist who is consistently good at what she does. The Welsh singer-songwriter has been gaining recognition and plaudits of late, including an invitation to spend time in Nashville. Her latest EP though has been made closer to home. ‘Stories from the Stable’ refers to four tracks recorded in Stef Judd’s studio in Norfolk. They represent an amalgamation of British Folk and US Country. The former more pronounced musically while the latter reveals itself in narrative tropes. There’s the revenge song (‘Aces are High’) to start while ‘Amber’ is Richards’ version of Dolly’s ‘Jolene’. Its light, airy and neon-filled sound capturing a jealousy that verges on admiration. Then ‘Bring It All Back’ ticks off regret with its heartrending chorus before ‘The House’ rounds things off. This hometown ode ripples with Miranda Lambert’s similarly-named song. But whilst that is tinged with sadness and longing, Richards’ EP-closer is only celebratory. Topped with some beautifully emotive piano and pedal steel. Further evidence that Pontypool’s own can mix it with Nashville’s country music natives.

You can listen to Rebecca’s EP on your preferred music platform now.

Featured Image (C) Rebecca Richards Music

Bryony Sier – Who Am I

Bryony Sier has managed to sum up her album in nine words. One for each song on the record. It is some feat considering that her sound has always been hard to pin down. ‘Who Am I’ feels like a natural follow-on to 2020’s ‘Personal Monster’. Themes of identity and mental health persist but there is much more positivity than previous. Perhaps because you sense Sier is rewriting her story.

The title track asks a question that has always been at the heart of her music. One which seems to be verging on an answer as she stands “across the divide”. The break between a trauma-filled past and a freedom-full future in sight. But in true Bryony Sier fashion, she muddies the waters, capturing the complexity of human emotion. The line “words can live on / years after they are said” summing up, rather poignantly, this point.

It is one of a couple of songs on the album that most resembles country-pop. But as ‘Telephone’ demonstrates, she appears to be veering more to the latter end of the spectrum now. This is by far the bounciest number of the nine, its story of connection (or lack thereof) reminiscent of Izzie Walsh’s latest single. Both artists tackle the realities of life as a 20/30-something, Sier’s ‘Brand New’ and ‘Let’s Talk’ further detailing the transition into adulthood. The vulnerability with which she relates her experiences echoes through the lyrics in haunting fashion. For those who have gone through similar, it is comforting, even empowering.

‘Why Do I Matter’ and ‘Platform 8’ represent her attempt to win back the narrative. The former proclaiming agency through beautiful irony whilst the latter is defiant in its unashamedly autobiographical rendering. This is the closest she comes to answering the album’s title, and it is Swiftian in its response. Along with heartbreak and ambition, Bryony Sier touches on a bit of everything to make a record that feels well-rounded but above all forward-looking. Its central message to “keep on holding on”, for nothing lasts forever. “I’m finally seeing in colour”.

You can purchase the album from Bryony’s website here. 

Featured Image (C) Bryony Sier

H.B. Whitman – No.1 Best Selling Page Turner

You can be forgiven for thinking H.B. Whitman is an American export. But the traditional country sounds on his debut single ‘No. 1 Best Selling Page Turner’ have been honed in England. Having studied the history and craft as a session musician, the influence of Kris Kristofferson and John Prine can be heard not only in his vocals but his songwriting too. It ensures that this first foray into original material sits on sure foundations. Balancing sincerity with humour, he tells the story of a man who discovers a bible in “that bedside drawer” and its impact on him. The second verse in particular really comes into its own, complete with bobbing harmonica and playful pedal steel. One can’t help hearing the double meaning of that leading line “Jesus Christ / what a man” – both a reflection by the protagonist on this central figure of the Gospels, and an appreciation by Whitman and his listeners for this man’s unique approach to faith. The result is a song that brings a wry smile, and a warm welcome to the UK Country scene for this Brighton-based artist.

Released on September 2nd 2026, you can listen to the single on your preferred streaming platform.

Featured Image (C) Milo Costelloe