If you were to combine the vocals from John Mayer, the passion of Ed Sheeran, and the melodic tempos of both Foy Vance and Tim Chaisson, you’d be left with Stefan Melbourne — and whether you like those four musicians or not, Stefan Melbourne is not a bad guy to find yourself with.
The Manchester, UK singer/songwriter is swooping right into the ever-expanding world of folk and injecting a quasi-bluegrass, sentimentally robust flavor wherever he walks. Yet the beauty of Stefan Melbourne is the swiftness of his motions, for the power of his music sneaks up on you, calmly flooding into the stillness of your conscience as if he had been there all along.
On “Don’t Let Me Go,” Melbourne captures the same fragile essence of romance that Bon Iver does of the stark Wisconsin winters. It is in his voice, acoustic riffs, and echoic bridge that we see and feel raw emotions, yet it’s neither melancholic nor dark but rather understated and pure. Simply put, “Don’t Let Me Go” is the next track you should add to that ultimate “chill summer” playlist, as it will liven it up and fit right into those late summer afternoons.
You know what, you might as well just go ahead and add the entire EP because there’s nothing bad to say about The Way We Fall. Though he stands strongly on his own, his collaboration with Chloe Leavers on “Landside” shows he can play well with others, too, and it’ll be exciting to watch where his voice appears next.