A lot of folk artists have been featured on this blog, but few have stuck out as much as Denmark-based British singer-songwriter Joshua Brain, better known by his stage name Calming River, who has a new EP on the way titled The Ones That We Left Behind.

The 4 tracks on this record feature a haunting, goosebump-inducing atmosphere, and each have a gripping story to tell. Joshua’s ability to suck in the listener through his words is fascinating, it’s a hypnotic quality you don’t often find in folk music, and it’s only furthered accentuated by his strong vocals and polished finger-picking on the acoustic guitar.

For certain, a mesmerizing EP that is one of the most striking works of the genre to be produced this year.