Brand new album from Black Brunswicker

Black Brunswicker is the progressive folk project of trans-non-binary artist Ethan Helfrich, a name that’s been quietly yet profoundly adding a contribution in the ambient folk world. Originally hailing from Bloomington in Indiana, Ethan has journeyed through various creative landscapes before finding their footing in Manchester, UK, where they’ve been based since 2020 after spending some time in Chicago.

With music that blends soft fingerpicked guitar and atmospheric washes of delay and reverb, Black Brunswicker crafts a delicate and reflective sound they’ve dubbed “Ambient Folk Melancholia.” The story of Black Brunswicker began in late 2018 after Ethan retired their previous moniker, Rest You Sleeping Giant. The next year, they unveiled their new musical vision with the debut EP In the Age of Aristocracy, and has since delivered an incredible catalogue of music across several records and singles. Over the years, they’ve earned recognition from various critics and tastemakers as well as securing radio support from the BBC, KEXP and others.

Now bringing us their latest release, they share their brand new album titled Been Around Here Before. The album serves up a sonic dreamscape, stitched from the threads of Ethan’s Midwestern background, conjuring images of wandering through forests, exploring hidden streams and seeking refuge in the shade. The use of ambient drones and soft guitar tones create a feeling of timelessness, as if the listener is floating through moments suspended in time.

The release is as much about coming to terms with the present as it is about revisiting the past. The album marks Ethan’s first trip back to the United States in two years after coming out as trans-non-binary, a journey filled with personal and emotional weight. In creating the album, they reconnected with their old Tascam four-track recorder, a tool that played a significant part in shaping the project’s sound, incorporating field recordings and DIY cassette loops

Opened by “The Cave,” the record starts with a lush atmosphere of drifting tones as airy guitar notes float through the dreamy haze. Crafting a soporific listening experience, it’s a hypnotic soundscape tinged with brightness and blissful melodic flourishes. “The World Passing By” follows with soft stretched tones and echoes of hushed vocal textures, resulting in a truly mesmeric listening experience.

Songs like “It Comes and Goes Like Raindrops on my Window” pairs lilting guitar plucks that hover among the washing sway of sweeping sounds. While “Down at the Creek” offers a transportive soundscape of reverb-drenched wonder as whispered vocal touches glide through the inviting musical fog. Closing the record with “View from the Lookout Tower,” ethereal loops of alluring vocalisations and the swell of shimmering textures combine to cast an enchanting and utterly spellbinding finale to the release, bringing to conclusion a stunning album that wraps fully around you and immerses you in a warm and soothing sonic embrace.

Commenting on the album, Black Brunswicker shares, “I struggle to identify and express emotions. And I think a lot of times, my music is a way for me to work through things. Where my last EP was about working through feelings of gender dysphoria, this is me working through kind of my past and present as well as this anxiety about going home, because this is very much an American-centered album. There have been a lot of changes with this big war against trans and queer folk more broadly… I think going back to the US is like putting myself out there in a more vulnerable way.”

Listen to Been Around Here Before below