A reflective folk sensibility anchors Old Blighty, an EP from Last Night Watchman that draws together observations on history, science, and the passage of time. Primarily a solo project, Last Night Watchman also reunites with longtime collaborator John Horton, whose guitar and keyboard contributions continue a musical partnership that began in the Birmingham, England-based indie band The Noseflutes.
A seafaring, adventurous introspection delights on the EP’s opening track. “We set our sails, for the eastern stars,” a warming lead delivery lets out amidst steady acoustics and a shanty-like enjoyment, bolstered by gorgeous backing harmonies as the production expands. The “we carry on with our ordinary lives” sense of safety melds with “no direction home” seafaring themes, serving as a metaphor for personal control and uncertainty. The track took inspiration from the artist witnessing Bristol demonstrators pulling down a statue of a 17th-century slave trader, drawing from colonial history that, while shocking, provides a view of past brutality.
The resonating songcraft continues on ensuing track “Footprints,” written after the discovery of 900,000-year-old human footprints on a Norfolk riverbed. “Time is drifting quietly away,” the delivery stirs here alongside twanging guitars, capturing the sheer awe of human history in both the context of time and progression, where footprints remain etched in the sand despite ample passages. “Fool’s Prayer” is another standout, embracing a no-frills folk quality where lyrical accounts like “I should’ve used my eyes to see” depict becoming adrift before added keys and electric guitar enter. Old Blighty is an excellently written EP from Last Night Watchman.
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“Old Blighty” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
