Brooklyn, USA-based folktronica artist E.W. Harris has appeared a few times before on our blog, but not since 2022. Back then, I was impressed with his storytelling style. How does his sound hold up nowadays?

By Graeme Smith

With his new EP, Machine Living in Relief, he decided to do something a little different. It’s an all acoustic album about robots and AI set in the fictional world of Rocket City. Each track is a vignette about a separate character. Harris’s storytelling style seems well and truly alive.

The record opens in bright and breezy style with the laidback and vibrant Sooner or Later. Immediately, Harris’s vocals shine; they’re soulful and characterful as they deliver lyrics that are full of emotion. A soaring chorus proves an early highlight.

From there we get five more varied tracks. Chemical Fire slows things down for a moody and intimate folk rock number while The Nail Beside the Door simmers gently with finger plucking before exploding into cinematic life. Casual Violence contains some delicious poetry during a lighter moment. Accidents Repeating shimmers with cascading layers and a hypnotic rhythm. Treble Negative strips things back to close the EP, letting its lyrics come to the fore.

Machine Living in Relief is out now, available to buy as a digital album on Bandcamp. You can give it a listen below.