Wildwood Kin

After playing a string of impressive shows across the UK including a stint at Glastonbury this summer, Exeter indie-folk trio Wildwood Kin have just released a new track ahead of their forthcoming EP, and it’s something truly soul-stirring.

Aptly introduced as “a call-to-action for female empowerment”, ‘Warrior Daughter’ tells of a passionate mother sending her daughter into battle as a headstrong leader and foreboding force. The harmonies are simply otherworldly, while the galloping instrumentals elicit enchanting Americana to the driving rhythms of strings and percussion.

You can find more music from Wildwood Kin (including their acclaimed debut EP Salt of the Earth) on their Soundcloud, or catch them at their upcoming UK shows with The Oh Hellos next month. - Samantha King

Having been invited to attend this gig by the guys behind BBC Introducing Devon, there were four bands on offer to check out but having dragged myself through a tough week I was flagging before I even got there. However, I’ve wanted to catch Exeter trio Wildwood Kin live for a while so I dragged myself up the A38 and as the crowd began to swell in the excellent Exeter Phoenix there was palpable anticipation in the air.

For the uninitiated, Wildwood Kin are two sisters (Emilie and Beth) and their cousin Meghann who plough a furrow not a million miles away from Laura Marling jamming with First Aid Kit in an Appalachian log cabin. So when three nervous looking and slightly shy musicians shuffle on to the stage hiding behind a beanie hat and/or long straight hair I wasn’t expecting the live version to live up to the beautiful recordings I had heard. I was wrong. What this trio do is let the music do the talking and from the first intricately interwoven guitar and mandolin notes it’s obvious that this is a massively talented group of musicians and songwriters.

Old and new songs blend together smoothly and, despite a couple of technical hitches, Wildwood Kin hold the audience under their spell for the entire set. The key to the bewitching sound of these three sirens, however, is there unnervingly pitch perfect vocal harmonies that have a power all of their own. The likes of local peers Sound Of The Sirens and LWM favourites Indigo Girls have always moved me with the rich, blended vocal tones but Wildwood Kin take this skill to a whole new level which I’m not remotely ashamed to say moved me to tears. This family band have got talent to spare, a clutch of beautiful songs and a work ethic that surely makes their parents proud. If I was a hard-nosed music executive, I would say that they need to work on their stage personas a bit but actually I quite like their timid and gentle approach to audience communication which suits the music perfectly.

Apologies to the other bands performing on the night but after the week I’d had and the emotional ringer I’d been through with the Wildwood Kin experience I was in no fit state to take any more music in. Next time….. - Roland Monger

Consisting of sisters Beth and Emillie Key and cousin Meghann Loney, Exeter trio Wildwood Kin make for a deeply unifying force, as evident in the video for their latest single filmed deep in the heart of the forest.

Their newest material since 2015′s Salt Of The Earth EP, ‘Warrior Daughter’ is a lively, drum-driven folk track bursting with incredible feminine energy as harmonies entwine effortlessly with one another, about a mother who prepares to send her daughter into battle in a harrowing coming of age tale. As the song builds to an amazing crescendo, the trio go on to musically embody the very strength and courage as mother and daughter do in song.

A dramatic empowerment anthem to get the adrenaline pumping…

‘Warrior Daughter’ is out September 2. - Luna Paper