With stripped-back, piano-based arrangements that leave its lyrical charms laid bare, Wild Goose Chasers is the new album from folk artist Beans on Toast. Alive with folklore and mythology, the new record is described by the artist as "a collection of newfangled pagan hymns to coincide with the end of truth"...

Wild Goose Chasers contains 12 songs (30 min, 25 sec) and see Matt Millership add accompaniment on an ancient piano, giving the album a new depth. So even if you're not a fan of Beans on Toast's vocals, and let's be honest, it's the rough-around-the-edges delivery that will mostly divide critics, the actual depth to the songs structures is worth sticking around for.

But, listen to the lyrics and you'll soon appreciate the folksy take on folklore, mythology, and an otherworldly mystique, destined to ensnare.

Talking about the album, Beans on Toast says: "These songs are about trading modern society for a wilder, more feral existence. Songs that dig deep into the meaning of life and our purpose on Earth. They provide an exit strategy from a boring dystopia by gambling the flood for a fairy tale. This might sound pompous, but such is life, and such is the wild goose chase."

It's an engaging, modern folk album that delights on several levels.

7

Nick Smithson