One of the few advantages of peak pandemic era was the embrace of virtual worldwide artistic collaboration, utilizing the power of technology to exchange ideas and audio. Several standout collaborative projects were born from this chaotic period, one of them being Behind Sundown. Welsh musician Owen Weston used this time to send his instrumental collaborations to artists throughout the globe, resulting in positive responses and ideas.
The Music With Strangers, Vol.1 EP represents the first in a series of releases from the collaborative project. Featuring additions from the artists Sounten, This Valley Glow, and Evan Dempster, the EP stirs with a nocturnal, contemplative blend of folk, pop, and rock. Opener “A Gather of Dust” captures late Friday nights with its electro-folk escalations and emotive vocal outpouring. Twangy guitar additions enthrall amidst the moody vocal yearning.
“Empty” also enamors with a late-night rock soundscape, with clap-feeling percussion and glimmering guitars showing well amidst a serene vocal presence. Closer “Fall, Too Soon” unveils a delicate vocal push amidst acoustical trickles and rousing expansion alike. This is an EP with an abundance of atmosphere and striking collaborative ideas.
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“A Gather of Dust” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of June 2023’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
