One might be tempted to describe “Returning”, the new single from UK-based experimental folk band Spirited Followers, with words like meditative or calm. But there’s also something dangerous in the sound of this latest track from them—a bit of sonic anxiety, a nearly-but-not-out-of-tune quality to some of the chord arrangements and instrumental choices that makes this track as unsettling as it is beautiful.
Their blend of Appalachian folk with elements from classical Indian music feels pretty damn singular, and this almost-ballad is a fascinating entry into their growing catalog. The vocals are the central thing in this track, soaring over the tension of the chords and carrying the sense of loss hinted at in the lyrical content.
I’m excited to explore more of their work, and would be fascinated to hear what more traditional bluegrass instruments might do in this context—banjo, especially. The interplay across continents and traditions is both a massive part of SF’s appeal, but it also never detracts from the songs themselves. We aren’t so busy parading how interesting the blend of instruments is that we forget to create something cohesive and meaningful.
One strange thing about being human is that you can experience something, a banh mi sandwich, the material of a shirt you find on a rack, or a band like this, and know that these things only exist because of the objectively horrific things that happened in the past.
It was violence, in these examples, specifically, colonial violence, that brought the world together in the way that it is now—it’s what allows us to mix textures, instruments, cuisines. I live near the Appalachians now, a part of the United States completely awash in its history of violence, and you can feel it in the art that comes from here. To hear pieces of that history in a band from across the ocean is surreal—and I can’t wait to hear more.
Written by Willow Stonebeck
