I only discovered epic45 a few months via the other Jon in our office, but they’ve already become one of my favourite bands. I’ve only just caught up with their back catalogue (‘May Your Heart be the Map’ in particular has been my soundtrack to cycling) and already there’s a new album, called ‘Weathering’ out!
I’ve tried to find ways of describing the music, without using wanky terms like ‘dreamy pop soundscapes’, but it’s hard. Something about their sound instantly makes me think of childhood summer adventures in the countryside and suburbs. You see? Hard not to make it sound pretentious. They describe it as:
There is a long tradition of pastoral music capturing a quintessential Englishness, running from Vaughan Williams through the English folk tradition to more recent names like Robert Wyatt and Talk Talk. Further down this line you’ll find Epic45.
Which sounds much better. They’re also one of those bands that has the whole package of music and artwork, and the latest album cover ‘Weathering’ is my favourite so far. It continues the sound of the last 2 albums ‘May your heart’ and ‘In all the Empty Houses’, but builds on it with different guest vocals, Stephen Jones from BabyBird, Rose Berlin (Dean Garcia of Curve’s daughter) and other artists.
You can pick up the CD or download (in many different flavours) from the Epic45 Bandcamp page. It should allow you to preview the tracks, but last time I looked it wasn’t working. However, if you have Spotify you can try out some epic45 with ease: have a listen to All the Empty Houses and May Your Heart be the Map