A beautiful folk sound — propelled by fingerpicked guitar and serenely poetic vocal prowess — shines on Seismic, the latest from David Bayless. The release is a consistent display in riveting songwriting from Bayless, who is originally from Northern California and now based in Zürich, Switzerland. His ability to craft emotively stirring entrancement within often subdued folk productions remind fondly of Elliott Smith.
The EP’s opening title track exudes a sense of unraveling, like a seismic shift. “The thread exposed, skinned down to the nerve,” Bayless sings amidst lush acoustic immersion. “Playing tug of war, in a house that burns.” The equivalency of fractured intimacy to a natural disaster is impactfully conveyed. The subsequent “Arachnid” is another standout, this time expressing the tumult of two people stuck in spider’s web — and enveloping in its perspectives of being frustrated by the person beside you in the web, rather than the looming arachnid’s poison.
“Exoskeleton” continues with insightful allure, chilling with its steady vocal layers and soft guitar strumming — as perspectives of self emanate in the lyrical power. “Step into your exoskeleton you dream / It sinks into your skin and fits like a glove,” Bayless lets out, artfully portraying the an of wearing ambition like armor until it overpowers the self. Full of quality folk songcraft, Seismic is a fantastic EP from David Bayless.
—
“Seismic” is also featured in the genre-based, best-of Spotify compilation Emerging Indie Folk.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
