Last summer, Wharfer (a.k.a. singer-songwriter Kyle Wall) released The Rattling, an album of subtle, bedroom-folk treasures. Wall recorded the full-length in his Brooklyn home and backyard, a process that imbued the 10-track set with a dusky, lo-fi preciousness. Since then, the Scranton native has finished a follow-up dubbed the Eyelids EP. Due June 10, the five-song short-player was mixed on Wall’s phone without mics. Despite that minimalist approach, the singer’s voice booms with a newfound confidence reminiscent of Bill Callahan.
Preview the Eyelids EP by streaming its opening tune, “Hawley,” below. No drums are necessary on the mellow track, what with the mix of understated double bass and trembling mandolin, played by seasoned jazz musicians David Speranza and Roy Williams, respectively. But it’s Wall’s sonorous vocals that are front and center, commanding and tinged with an everlasting gloom.
