Finnian’s new EP Travelling feels like stepping into an old country bar at closing time, where the stories are authentic, the lights are low, and every lyric counts and leaves you wanting more. Recorded live to tape at Blackmountain Studios, there’s a real sense of presence in these tracks. It’s a stunning six-track journey through folk and alt-country. This is music that’s unafraid to sit with uncomfortable truths, and better yet, it sounds fantastic doing it.
It opens with All the Little Things, a gorgeous finger-picked track that immediately stopped me in my tracks. I hadn’t heard Finnian before this, and I genuinely found myself thinking, “Where has this voice been hiding?” It’s got the warmth of traditional folk, the soul of Americana, and a timelessness that makes it feel both fresh and familiar. The lyrics to this one touch on a wide array of themes such as identity, peace, and self-acceptance. “The hardest part of living is accepting who we are” is a great line and it lands with weight. I found myself doing a double take a few times throughout this EP at some of the brilliance of the lyrics.
Title track Travelling kicks things up with a sort of country-rock swagger that brings Springsteen to mind. It’s all rolling rhythms and poetic grit, full of more clever lines like “You and me and alcohol, the three of us together, lovers in a losing game.” That blend of clever lyricism and lived-in grit continues on Holding On, where strings dance through a stomping rhythm section and Finnian’s vocal takes on a raspier, more urgent tone. It sounds like it was made to be played live, shoulder to shoulder with friends and strangers alike.
The most jarring and impactful turn comes with Medicine, a grim, stripped-back tale that pulls no punches. It’s dark, disturbing, and vividly written, exploring trauma and violence with brutal openness. While it won’t be for everyone, it’s a bold inclusion that shows Finnian isn’t here to play it safe. It’s a track the sticks with you because of that. The vocals in this track are pretty stunning too, I found myself thinking of Johnny Cash at times. The final two tracks, Without You and Zero Sum Game are in slower, brooding territory. Without You is lyrically rich, full of those clever lines like “Without you, I’m a cowboy with no one to choose. Without you, I’m a year with no
April fools” while Zero Sum Game ends the EP on a powerful, sorrowful note, delving into themes of loss and sin with sharp imagery and eerie calmness to it.
This is a project that rewards close listening. Finnian has poured his heart into Travelling, and it shows in every corner, from the honest lyrics to the warmth of the recordings. This is definitely not background music. It’s something to sit with, reflect on, and probably come back to again and again. A beautiful, bold release from an artist who clearly has a lot more to say.
”Travelling” arrives in with a nice 8.5 out of 10
Reviewer – Alan Robinson @alan_robinson_photography