Incorporating a whole plethora of instruments, S J Denney’s latest EP sees the UK based artist transform the modern ideals of folk music dramatically and effectively. The jangling melody of a home recorded acoustic holding within it an expressive vocal performance from Denney itself starts the album on the right note from the get go on ‘On Any Other Day’. The record is a holistic piece of alternative folk, retaining the core arrangements of an acoustic folk record but also bringing to life new melodies that are markedly different from what we would come to expect.
Denney’s vocal performance is definitively the core foundation of the record. The backing vocals and harmonies on a tune like All I’ve Ever Known add new dimensions to the overall feeling and emotion behind 4 Reasons to Fly. The continued repetition of the titular line puts you in a trance like ease before a host of world instruments start flurrying in, much to the surprise of the listener who probably expects a fundamentally only guitar driven piece.
It’s an expertly crafted folk record with hints and moments of more pop driven melodies and harmonies strewn in across its work. There’s’ something comforting about Denney’s work, something so pleasing and heart-warming about each piece of the record that has you as a listener feeling reassured, relaxed, and at complete ease. It’s the right kind of warmth and emotion you want and yearn for from a home recording of this calibre.