Local rockers and York Calling favourites Miles and the Chain Gang are stripping things back for their latest release.

By Graeme Smith

The Acoustic Autumn EP gives us six intimate takes on their sound, bringing lead singer Miles Salter’s lyricism to the fore. The record features five previously released tracks that have been given an acoustic remake, plus a never hear before one, A Way Of Being Free.

“When I wrote that song I was aiming for a kind of Dylan-esque universal reflection on the human condition,” explains Salter. “I’m not sure I succeeded, but I’ve always liked the song and the way it reflects a variety of human experience. As John Lennon said, ‘whatever gets you through the night…’”

Joining the track are new renditions of Raining Cats and Dogs, Wildcats and Koalas, Love Like A Freight Train and Hold Me Down.

Like other artists we’ve covered recently. Salter is doing some soul-searching when it comes to Spotify. “Spotify is a cause for concern for artists, as Daniel Ek, its boss, is investing in a military defence company, which seems pretty sick for somebody who has made a fortune from utilising music,” he says, “but as a platform, it’s hard to ignore, and it’s great to see our tracks going around the world in 2025. We’ve been played in 25 countries from Canada to Brazil to Mexico, Argentina and New Zealand, and plays have now topped 35,000.”

I’m sure Acoustic Autumn will add more than a fair few to that number. The EP is out now, and you can listen to it below.