I’m so glad I heard this album just in time for fall.

An excellent take on acoustic primitivism out of the UK, Gwenifer Raymond really puts the pedal to the metal here on her most recent record. Influenced by science fiction, folk horror, and her upbringing in rural South Wales, the result is a spellbinding combination of Appalachian mountain music, cosmic folk, and a singular atmosphere that’s just perfect for this time of year.

I can’t say I’ve heard any acoustic music quite like this. It gives me the same chills of a good horror movie, the sonic equivalent of something so scary you can’t look away. It’s hard to believe it’s just one person playing as well – some of these songs could go toe-to-toe with the finest bluegrass pickers I’ve ever heard.

Like most music that echoes from the roots of Appalachia, Raymond’s songs bear a certain mystical quality – almost psychedelic in the way they carry the imprints of centuries past, the music of the hills, inducing a kind of frenzied hypnosis not unlike a spiritual revival, a state of ecstasy and unbridled expression. If you’re looking for the soundtrack to your next coven gathering, you could do worse.