John Goraj – “Birds of Paradise” (audio) (premiere)

Whereas many of his contemporaries are known for their more anthemic and bombastic evolutions of folk music, John Goraj settles into the pocket of the soft-spoken, emotive, and contemplative. The tracks spread throughout his upcoming EP, The Patience of Glaciers, are layered, roots-laden tunes reflective of the life their writer has lived.

“Birds of Paradise”, for instance, is a reflection on the closure that Goraj’s successful battle to become sober 14 years ago brought to him. The South Dakota-born, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter’s delicate vocals act as the centerpiece that brings elaborate finger-picking and soft, reverb-tinged strings together.

According to Goraj, the song circles around “…getting sober and meeting my wife and sort of relishing in the fact that we found each other and that there’s this new life that we can begin to live together too.

“I think that by the time you get to the third verse, it’s like this sense that something really great has happened and something really powerful and meaningful has happened.”

The Patience of Glaciers releases on 13 October.