Colin Manson - Wayfinding EP 
Release Date: 4th June 2025
Before we start on the music, can we just take a moment to admire the artwork for this new EP, 'Wayfinding' from Colin Manson which perfectly matches the sound and vibe of the songs on this collection? Now, tissues at the ready for this one because the gentle but emotive folk tones that Manson creates are primed to tug on your heart strings and place lumps within your throat. Take opening song 'Sea Son', for example, which is all warm acoustic notes and shuffling beats but then hits you with lines like "Come my only son, now the water is calling you" followed by "Out from the shore there's a big world waiting and it's waiting for you". No, you're chopping onions....
On 'The Water', Manson takes us out on a little boat, bobbing on the waves, to enjoy the view and generally get away from it all as the plucked acoustic notes and gentle violin wash all your worries away. 'These Words', similarly, has a soothing quality to it and a touch of the David Kitt sound, but also a dark underbelly that beautifully captures the contrast between the words swirling around your head in dark times with the passive phrases that tumble from your mouth. The fourth track is 'Where We Started' and Manson leaves you with a comforting opening line, "don't be so hard on yourself", along with the soothing ebb and flow of the melody that seems to be his trademark. It is only on completing this review that I've realised 'Wayfinding' is, in fact, Colin Manson's debut EP and that only serves to make this an even more remarkable and beautiful collection of songs.
More information: https://www.colin-manson.com/
Live Dates:
4th June - EP Launch @ Barrell House, Totnes w/Ballast