Ryan Darton: I Am a Moth

While listening to Ryan Darton’s I Am a Moth, the first thing that immediately struck me was the scope of influences that were incorporated. Another thing that really jumped out was that this doesn’t feel like a solo release — it feels like a band effort, which works to I Am a Moth‘s advantage. Each of these 11 tracks are smartly written, wonderfully structured, and heartfelt. It seems that Darton genuinely believes in what he’s doing and is passionate about it, which translates to the record. That may only sound like a small note but really, nothing could be bigger.

When an artist’s passion becomes that tangible,any release immediately becomes more striking. When these songs are stripped to their barest elements, they’re still arresting pieces of folk/pop. To do that, however, one would have to sacrifice the truly gorgeous production. I Am a Moth is a complete record and should help establish Ryan Darton, which is a very good thing.