Lately I’ve been slowly feeling my way beyond my staple playlists into uncharted artist territory.

Every year I have about 3-4 of these seasons where I expand and listen to new artists. Most of the year i spend intimately with the music I already have, or following only the musicians that I am already familiar with.

I am aware that I’m a little late for this EP by Gentle Bones (Joel Tan), but it was too lovely to not blog about.

Featuring 5 tracks, Gentle Bones is a mellow, indie EP with a kick. Relaxed but not loose, chill without sounding monotonous, the tracks slide smoothly into each other, making it extremely easy to finish listening to the CD and suddenly realize, “What? It’s done?” and proceed to loop.

1. Until We Die
2. Elusive
3. Save Me
4. Settle Down
5. Lost

I’m a big fan of following local talent, and Gentle Bones is a sound that fits right in with my playlists. Conceptually, his music videos are interested and I am curious to see how his storytelling will continue to develop over time.

Lyrically speaking, these tracks are solid, although not remarkably innovative. What he does manage to do extremely well is meld the lyrics into the musicality of each song, creating a very organic, pleasant listening experience (kinda like a hug).

Favourites: Settle Down, Elusive and Save Me.

I’m excited to see what he will deliver in 2015, and pretty stoked about the ever expanding pool of young talent in my hometown 🙂