Hushman

The name Hushman may not be immediately familiar to you, but it is the name for a new project from folk musician, singer and songwriter Ewan MacPherson. A significant figure on the vibrant Scottish indie-folk scene, MacPherson also performs and writes with highly-regarded trio Salt House, as well as the somewhat more raucous acid-folkers Shooglenifty.

Primarily a self-produced solo recording with Macpherson on vocals, guitars, harmonium, bowed bouzouki, jaw harp and synths, he’s sometimes aided and abetted by label mates Hannah Read on backing vocals, Lauren MacColl (from Salt House) on strings, Ben Nichols on bass and Shooglenifty colleague James Mackintosh on percussion for what’s, for the most part, a hushed, meditative and intimate set – on some tracks you can even hear wind, rain and bird noises from outside the cabin where much of it was recorded. Eight of the ten tracks have been written by MacPherson (except ‘Duke Henrik’ and ‘Beltane’) and, although comparisons will almost inevitably be made with the likes of John Martyn and Nick Drake, there’s a distinct pop sensibility at play on tracks such as the relatively-lush ‘The Rising Line’ and ‘Freshwater Salt’.