When The Day Leaves

For over a decade, Austin Crane has operated under the Valley Maker banner, creating evocative indie folk-rock layered with rich sonic textures and compelling lyrics that dance between the human, natural, and spiritual worlds. A South Carolina native, Cranes project largely came to fruition while living in Seattle, where he earned his PhD in human geography. His most recent record, 2018s enchanting Rhododendron, was recorded in Portland with Toro y Moi (Chaz Bundick). Now back in Columbia, South Carolina, Crane melds some of that albums spacious aesthetic with an earthy depth on When the Day Leaves, his fourth Valley Maker album. Set against a mix of fingerpicked acoustic and ruggedly distorted electric guitars, Cranes languid drawl details life in various states of change. Occasional adornments of flute and the dulcet harmonies of longtime collaborator Amy Godwin help lift songs like Branch I Bend and the lovely Mockingbird up above the fog, while weightier cuts like Instrument and On a Revelation seem deeply rooted in the earth. Like most of Cranes other releases, When the Day Leaves feels like a single interconnected work full of stormy moods and thoughtful meditations. ~ Timothy Monger