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Damon Langley is a young Australian who writes his own music and plays wicked acoustic electric guitar. The muso moved from Adelaide to Melbourne at only eighteen to pursue his dream to make a living off of his music. Things quickly changed when he was met with a cold, harsh serving of reality and so, the Love Letter EP has taken four years in total to get to your ears; but after hearing it for myself I think it was worth it, reminding me of some of my favourites like The Lumineers and The Paper Kites.

The EP, Folk Rock in genre is like a jigsaw puzzle. Filled with pieces of inspiration from the likes of Jeff Buckley, Glen Hansard and Matt Corby, it joins together to create an honest and intimate picture, with emotive lyrics allowing the listener to feel Langley’s vulnerability and heartache. With upcoming  shows at the Charles Weston and Edinburgh Castle to coincide with Love Letter EP’s release and a launch at Melbourne’s best kept secret at Red Betty’s Bar, Langley is a freight train that won’t be stopping anytime soon.

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I got the chance to listen and review the new release EP, Love Letter, titled fittingly so because throughout there is a theme that reflects Langley’s tendency to be a hopeless romantic. During my recent interview with the singer-songwriter (READ HERE) he mentions his writing and music being cathartic, and has also said that this EP is about letting go of depression, anger, love, or sadness and regret and moving forward.

The Love Letter EP with a track titled ‘City of Churches’ opens with soulful, romantic lyricism, that turns to a song about unrequited love and a broken heart. “I got sick of love-songs when she led me astray. So raise your glass to me. I’m the guy, moving in new directions. No more songs about love lost, girls hate, and rejection.” The first verse is slow and sets a melancholy mood with monotone vocals and the only instrument is his acoustic-electric guitar strumming slowly keeping the beat and melody. But, when the chorus comes in so does a faster tempo with the drumbeat, creating a feeling of hopefulness in the music and the ambient piano chords help City of Churches to feel full in texture. The mood of the lyrics also lifts with lines like, “Don’t believe in love. But that hasn’t stopped me from falling before.”, and “I don’t have many friends. But, I have enough to not be alone.” both of which I can personally relate too. I really enjoy this first song, and the sneaky moments of harmonica really tie it all together right toward the end. A perfect way to start the EP.

The opening few counts of ‘Evangeline’ give me a heavier feel, the sounds remind me much more of a bluesy/rock with darker tones in Langley’s voice and vocal tone dips, something commonly utilised in jazz music. Evangeline is a cool combination between rock, blues and folk with a combination of acoustic and electric guitar showcased throughout and excellent manipulation between fast and slow tempo changes. Evangeline makes me feel as though I am in a South American steakhouse and the guy on stage singing has just lost the love of his life; a sense of longing for unrequited love.

‘Dawn’ is a complete juxtaposition to the previous track as I listen to the first counts it instantaneously calms me, almost meditatively. At first I think this song is going to be entirely instrumental, until Langley’s vocals increase in volume with slight reverb/echoes following each long note. The only instrument I can hear throughout is the electric guitar most finger-picking, and so delicate that it reminds me of walking through a rain forest or swimming under waterfalls. This track is a transient combination between synth-rock and folk lyricism and vocals with Langley going into falsetto numerous times for extended notes, his vocals are not to be underestimated or considered any less than his incredible instrumental abilities. Dawn is a beautiful piece of music that may give you a glimpse into Damon Langley’s heart.

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‘Love Letter’ is the title-track of the recently released EP by Damon Langley and the mood is lifted and this song feels a bit more fun and upbeat with the Rastafarian like drumbeats. “And I would see you through golden rain. And when I’m with you all my pain turns to nothing at all.” the lyrics in this song are definitely more positive toward the idea of love. The piano are a great addition to this song tying all the other sounds around it together, but toward the end of the track Langley’s vocals doing a glorious crescendo and become far more aggressive. The end of Love Letter has an anger, passion and desperation to it with the drumbeat increasing in tempo and then an electric guitar solo that was killer. The last few counts of the track bring it to a complete halt and back to the soft, sad mood with a few keys played on the piano. Perfect.

‘I’ll Leave Flowers’ is a sweet, folk song with simple yet clever lyrics that highlight Damon Langley’s ability to tell stories with his music and with big sounds or fancy production. My favourite part about I’ll Leave Flowers is the soft presence of saxophone in the background of the song, bringing back an element of blues music. But the overall feeling of this song is a feeling being lost and sad. Someone looking back on a past love and the memories in an attempt to relive them, but a real sobering way to end the EP.

“This process from start to finish almost downright killed me and part of me honestly can’t believe that I’m sharing it with you. I’d also just like to thank everyone involved, and everyone that has supported me this far.”  (Damon Langley).

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Connect with DAMON LANGLEY
SoundCloud | Facebook | Interview

AMNPLIFY _ DT