I recently completed the second iteration of my underground folk music series. However, I felt there were so many good songs out there that belonged to the genre, that I had to get started again on the third addition to the series! All the tracks here have elements of the folk genre, whether that be modern folk or traditional folk music – a full playlist can also be found at the end of this article.
Review by Jane Howkins
Picture by Lemon Maye for Haleigh Bowers
Haleigh Bowers – Gladly
First up on this list is Gladly, by Haleigh Bowers. As well as the folky vibes, there’s also quite a distinctive country quality to the tune, making for a nice mix of genres. Haleigh’s vocals are full of emotion, following the guitar lines, giving a lovely flow to this melancholic tune. The track breaks down every so often, changing the pace and rhythm of the track to create a wonderful dynamic change. I can’t wait to hear more from Haleigh in the near future!
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Andrew Akins – I-25
Andrew Akins is an American singer-songwriter and musician based in Amarillo, with his music also having a country twang to it. I-25 opens up with a selection of gorgeous guitar melodies, alongside a semi-upbeat rhythm that makes you want to tap your feet along in time straight away! The chorus elevates things slightly, adding a catchy touch to this amazing tune. Andrew also has a lovely singing voice, perfect for his genre of choice.
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Three Armed Bandit – Tandem
Tandem mixes together elements of Americana, country and folk music, having a classic folk/country vibe that’s unmatched by anything else I’ve heard recently. The main guitar melody is simple yet effective, allowing Three Armed Bandit’s vocals to truly shine, having a wonderful deep quality that reminded me of the country greats of old. The guitar lines fit the rhythm well and give it a toe-tappingly catchy feel, working its way inside your head straight away!
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Sabine – Forever and a day
Forever and a day is one of the more traditional folk songs on this list, created by the fantastic Sabine. The track features several gorgeous acoustic guitar melodies, playing over each other alongside slight percussion to create a warm feel. Sabine’s vocals are luscious, having a deepness to them that is often missing from folk music nowadays. The pace of the song changes every so often, but it’s when it slows down and Sabine’s vocals are left unleashed that it sounds most beautiful.
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Chucky Trading Co – Grace
We’ve featured the fantastic folk rock band Chucky Trading Co several times since discovering them earlier this year, and their music just seems to get better and better! Grace is a really beautiful song, harking back to the glory days of 60s folk music, also having a somewhat psychedelic vibe. The vocals are distinctive yet sound really beautiful, following the gorgeous acoustic guitar melodies in a lovely fashion. These guys are definitely ones to watch out for!
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Emmi Maaria – On foot I wandered through the solar system
The curiously titled On foot I wandered through the solar system is a new track from Emmi Maaria, a Finnish singer, violinist and composer currently based in London. It’s quite an experimental piece of music, with varying violin motions tailing off, adding a classical quality to this folk tune. The track breaks down in the middle, before Emmi’s unique vocal style appears again, adding a rhythmic quality to the piece. It won’t be for everyone, but those into their more experimental music should check this out.
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Ava Vegas – Pleasure Pilgrim
Pleasure Pilgrim sounds beautiful from the very start, featuring some slow guitar melodies and a drum beat that builds up the tension on this haunting number. Ava Vegas has created a dreamy piece of wonder here, as her vocals float through the music in lovely style. There’s so much going on here that it will take a few listens to fully appreciate everything – the music is that beautiful that you’ll want to listen to it several times over though. This was one of my favourite songs on this entire list.
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Everdeen – Do You Wanna Play (Acoustic)
We featured Everdeen’s music a couple of times last year, so it’s fantastic to be able to share more music from her. As the name suggests, Do You Wanna Play (Acoustic) is an acoustic form of the original track, and it’s definitely my favourite version of the song. The guitar melodies play in a fingerpicked style, sounding like several guitars playing at once, alongside Everdeen’s stunning vocals. The vocals reach some stunning heights on the chorus, which is simply beautiful.
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BAYWUD – Don’t You Let ‘Em
We reviewed BAYWUD’s EP Home earlier this year, so I’m very excited to be able to share a new song from this amazing LA artist, titled Don’t You Let ‘Em. The track starts out slowly, with a pretty keyboard melody underpinning the soft vocals. BAYWUD’s vocals are very emotional, seeing him laying his heart on his sleeve on this catchy folk-pop tune. The track remains fairly understated until the end of the track, with more and more instruments being added to raise the music up to a wonderful crescendo of sounds.
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