SOMETHING NEW: ‘Old Pine’ – Ben Howard

So if you follow me on Twitter then you would have heard me banging on about this Devonian guy for ages. I first saw him play in a small room underneath an old pub in Truro to about 30 other lucky people and since then just seen him grow as a performer, songwriter, build upon an ever-increasing fan base to finally last year being picked up by a record label.

The lyrics in 'Old Pine' are so incredibly beautiful and descriptive you can almost smell the sea air. A camping trip by the beach never sounded so good – 'hot sand on toes, cold sand in sleeping bags. I've come to know that memories were the best things you ever had'. For me personally his song writing is so easy to enjoy and identify with as he sings about areas I've grown up in.

From the beach to the moors, our climate and places we spent summers, 'Old Pine' is not only gorgeous in lyric but also in its catchy melody and incredibly uplifting and energetic second half. Almost jig-like it fits the bill as folk music but not the normal acoustic plodding you may normally associate with the genre.

As I've so often mentioned in my recommendations it's always about the simplicity. Having toured for the best part of his early career either alone or with India Bourne on cello, the freedom he now has making a 'full' album has not gone to his head in bringing in elaborate string melodies or over-produced segments. The original demo of this song isn't too far from the finished song we now hear, and if you get the chance to see him do this one live – get ready to jump, what starts as almost a lullaby will have you bouncing with the crowd by its finish. Local lad did good.

From the EP ‘Old Pine’ and forthcoming album ‘Every Kingdom’ (2011) / @benhowardmusic