The Declining Winter – Last April – Album Review
by Killian Laher

The Declining Winter is a band from West Yorkshire led by Richard Adams, formerly of the post-rock band Hood.  It’s very much an album of wintry pieces for windy days.  It starts with the delicate acoustic guitar picking of Eyes On Mine, joined by violins, and Adams’ hesitant, staccato singing.  The album is made up mainly of brittle, acoustic guitar and violin pieces, like the title track and Lime Tree House.  The loveliness arguably reaches its zenith on Mother’s Son, Adams softly singing “I was my mother’s son”, imbuing those simple words with considerable sadness.  My Greatest Friend has the prettiest, most intricate guitar playing.  The final track, August Blue, has a particularly sparse opening, with instrumentation that’s at times barely there before the strings swoop in.

These tracks don’t really go anywhere but each one is nearly more lovely than the last.  If you enjoy quiet, contemplative music, this is a perfect soundtrack for sitting and staring out the window at the fading light to.  It’s available here https://thedecliningwinter.bandcamp.com/album/last-april-2

Mother’s Son