EP Review: Ethan Ash – Face To Face

English singer/songwriter Ethan Ash has talent written all over him, when we featured him on Renowned For Sound’s ‘Ones To Watch’ section recently it wasn’t for sport; Ash has been playing guitar since the tender age of six before moving on to electric at twelve, he has also supported the likes of Newton Faulkner, Passenger and most recently Ed Sheeran just to add to his impressive CV. Three wonderful EPs and and multiple writing sessions later, Ethan has released his latest EP Face to Face; the big guns were called in to make this EP, with Simon Gogerly (U2, Paloma Faith, Gwen Stefani) on mixing duties and some writing credits shared with Amy Wadge (Ed Sheeran, Lewis Watson) and Janet Devlin (Newton Faulkner).

The new EP kicks off with its lead single Chasing Your Love, a catchy number that captures the essence of a decent mainstream single as well as the edgy indie/folk vibes; Ash’s vocal has the energy to back the arrangement all the way, overall it’s addictive. Title track Face To Face is has a bit of an MGMT ring to it (Electric Feel comes to mind every now and then), and although it’s not a dance track in comparison it captures you with its guitar riff and once again Ethan’s voice takes you away. Seems Like Love Has Died has a tad of soul added to its recipe, it’s borderline ballad and pop and demonstrates a rawness to Ethan Ash we haven’t heard on this EP yet; lastly, Boy Like Me brings the EP to a more energetic end with its snappy guitars and persistent beat, not to mention its catchy chorus.

It’s not hard for a fondness of Ethan Ash’s music to grow upon listening to his Face To Face EP, he has a likeable voice and the writing and delivery of this release is commendable with an appreciative nod by the singer/songwriter genre. He did work with writers who have penned with Ed Sheeran and Newton Faulkner, so it makes sense that he has drawn some kind of influence from both artists and implemented that into the EP’s finishing touches. Face To Face is definitely an EP that you can listen to again and again without fail and without tiring, four songs seems short but perhaps it would have been a stretch to drag out what is already good; it’s warm, fresh and uplifting and is undoubtedly one of Ethan Ash’s strongest releases so far.

Marcus Floyd