For some time this unique folk/dream pop group from Boston has been on the periphery of my attention. There’s something incredibly distinctive about what they do and of course it’s the vocals you notice first but the instrumentation is also very different from what we are used to hearing in contemporary music. I first stumbled across them performing their track Benny Bear on YouTube and I was gratefully mesmerised throughout the song and left with a hunger to discover more – their unusual choice of instruments, arrangements and poetic lyrics all lend themselves to deeper inspection, so I thought I’d make their latest EP my starting point. A big part of their appeal is that incredible, shiver-inducing voice; one moment it’s a world-weary drawl encompassing all the despair of broken dreams and unfulfilled hopes and the next it’s girly and playful.
With humble beginnings in Raleigh, NC, Eva & the Oak unites their folky roots with indie/alternative influences. Incredibly all of the songs were written by Madeline Parascandola. Madeline‘s style of song is deep, nostalgic, and meaningful, and her beautiful voice is filled with real emotion and It didn’t take long for us to become hooked on them. She can deliver in such a world-weary way with effortless expression. This is quite something considering she is so young. I especially love Remember the Iris, but in fact have had their full EP on repeat for days! This EP provides the perfect marriage between soulful acoustics, beautiful melodies and subtle arrangements that will make you sit up and listen. Indeed, it is the lyrics which will perhaps leave a lasting impression, but I’ll let you decide for yourself. If you enjoy their tracks and EP as much as I do, you can keep up to date with their latest offerings by following them on Facebook, Sound Cloud and Instagram.
