Deep Dark Woods' new single, “East Of The Sun”, is a song originally by Roy Harper. “Roy Harper is one of the most underrated songwriters of the 1960s,” explains frontman Ryan Boldt. “His influence was felt across British folk and rock and roll, influencing bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.

“He straddled the line between traditional folk and psychedelic rock. Much like Nick Drake, his music was difficult to categorize, which I believe negatively affected his career. It takes the music industry sometimes decades to catch up to what true artists are creating. His songs will be sung through the centuries ahead.

“I recorded ‘East of the Sun’ in a rumba style with my old Roland TR-77 drum machine going through a Korg tape echo machine. Geoff Hilhorst, of course, added the organ, and my friend Jay Hollinaty played the drums.”

As always, The Deep Dark Woods' music exists in a proud continuum of songwriting, but this is a band whose influences can be felt more than heard. The spirit of the '60s and '70s hovers around the perimeter at all times, but truly only in spirit: there is no aping here, just an enviable ability to conjure that same world-weary-but-hopeful sound that, for instance, Levon and company patented across The Band's early '70s masterpieces. And that era leans heavily on the sonic palette of their latest record, The Circle Remains as well. This “out of time” aspect can be attributed to their influences of course, but also to the analog tape-heavy recording process the band and producer David Parry (Alice Phoebe Lou, Loving) favoured for this album. And it makes perfect sense, adding a burnished quality to the album's sound and placing a premium on the considerable abilities of these musicians.

A passing listen to the voice of The Deep Dark Woods' Boldt may find one drawing comparisons to some of the other titans of this strain of intimate, personalized songwriting that emerged in the during the '90s “indie folk” scenes, but the more one listens, it becomes apparent that Boldt has carved out his own niche in this rarefied realm. His singing (which is often coated with the gentle spectre of good old-fashioned analog tape delay) is lilting and mellifluous, imbuing a floating, mercurial element to the performances, but it's also playful, each line gently teasing out the edges of his melodies.

For both neophytes and the converted alike, The Circle Remains will be an easy point of entry for the uninitiated, and it will certainly provide another proof-positive for the longtime fan.