Hidden Highways: Old Hearts Reborn

Sometimes, musicians don't need to reinvent the wheel to make a great album. Carol-Ann McGowan and Tim 'Vertigo' Smyth recognise the limitations of two voices, two guitars and the simple accompaniment of lapsteel or violin, but their debut is all the better for that awareness. Taking a leaf out of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings's Americana songbook, these snug, hushed songs are like a woolly-jumpered hug on a crisp autumn day, Smyth's country quiver beautifully complemented by McGowan. Two great tunes – the softly-plucked Empire of Old and the shimmering melancholy of Next Time Round – bookend this short album, but the filling is consistently swoonsome. The pace is meandering at best and not to everyone's taste, but for those who appreciate simple, honest songwriting, this is gorgeous stuff. hiddenhighways. bandcamp.com
Download: Wild Woe, Next Time Round