Eagleowl have been folking things up to some acclaim around Edinburgh for a couple of years now, and their first EP manages to perfectly capture what has made them such an appealing live prospect. Gentle harmonies and groaning strings combine to create a set of atmospheric slow burners in which every note and nuance sounds completely deliberate and considered.
While the combination of cello, ukelele and quietly distorted guitar create a beautifully fragile backing track, the lyrics to these songs hint at something much darker, such as on opener ‘Sleeptide’ (“breath, you’ll no longer need / land, you’ll no longer see”) which, once you get past the pretty melody, reveals itself as something a little more sinister. Whatever Eagleowl do next, you can rest assured that they won’t rush, but it will be measured to perfection and will be all the better for it.