Butterfly is the debut EP from Snowpoet and you would do well to think of it as a bit of an early Christmas present. The group are led by two core musicians, London bassist Chris Hyson and Irish vocalist Lauren Kinsella, but they work as a collective to combine experimental and improvisational music and spoken word.
They describe themselves as an alternative folk act but Butterfly is as close to jazz as folk, full of free form melodies and experimental instrumentation. The EP opens with Always, a shimmering and polished entrance full of details that glisten as Kinsella's spoken words walk you in, giving way to a soaring chorus and extravagant, cosmic closing third.
After a gently introspective interlude in the form of 1953, the titular Butterflies gently weaves itself around the listener, guitars panning back and forth as pianos twinkle. The music gives way to the sound of rain gently falling, a transition to runs into the final track Alive With Closed Eyes.
It is a dramatic, stark conclusion to the EP - raw and exposed in a way that contrasts to the polish of Butterfly's opener. A compelling release, Snowpoet are at turns strange and beautiful.
Butterfly is out now. Listen to Always below, stream the EP in full on Soundcloud or buy on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link].