THE first of two EPs from Mal MacWatt & The Glass Mountains dropped recently, as the singer's side project kicks back up again.
Malcolm MacWatt is proving prolific as of late, having released three solo albums in the last three years.
The Glass Mountains side project was starting to distinguish his country-rock material from the Celtic-Americana folk output which has developed a following both at home and abroad.
The Blue Hour EP, unveiled in late January, is a reference to the brief period just before dawn and just after dusk - also known as the twilight.
For MacWatt, the EP is about being alone with your thoughts at the witching hour, too tired to party but too wired to sleep.
With so much regret, repentance and reflection in the songs, producer Phil Dearing insisted on a darker, more gritty sound by distilling the country-soul elements of ‘Dial It Back’ and condensing them down into a more focused roots rock offering.
The singer said: “As the songs came together in the studio they naturally seemed to fall into two distinct camps - half with a strong soul feel and half that were much more country.
“Initially, I thought about trying to integrate them into one album by blurring the edges but it felt more honest to just let the songs take whatever direction suited them best.”
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