Fairground Saints – ‘Fairground Saints’ (album stream) (premiere)

The sort of country/Americana/adult contemporary/pop hybrid that will easily appeal to fans of Lady Antebellumn but nowhere near as shallow, Fairground Saints are on to something very, very good on their debut album, which you can listen to below.

The trio of Mason Van Valin (guitar), multi-instrumentalist Elijah Edwards, and Megan McAllister (guitar, dulcimer) create tasteful songs that often veer toward the lavish side of pop music and mainstream country, but producer Matthew Wilder is always smart enough to rein things in just enough to keep the music from going overboard. The end result is a quietly beautiful album with enough ambition to try new things (like the harder-edged blues of “Church” and the exuberant Taylor Swift-style pop of “Wish I Was”) but a restrained approach that keeps the sound consistent.

“The diversity between all the songs on this record is what makes it unique,” says Van Valin. “No two are alike. It’s our job, and joy, as songwriters to take the listener on an adventure. I think this album is full of that.”

Fairground Saints will be released 21 August.