On ‘Hand Full of Seeds’, the debut EP from Laois-native Brian Lalor, each song is an exercise in minimal, well-crafted acoustic folk. A distinctive voice comes to the fore over the course of the record, helping set Lalor apart from every other quiet lad with a guitar.

Opening track See What You Can Find features a snappy snare keeping a bouncy rhythm, with Lalor’s vocals over slight guitar. It’s a lovely tune with a fantastic harmony on the chorus. Lalor is in possession of a uniquely accented singing voice, though in parts on this opener, particularly the bridge, his pitch sounds unsure and ropey; a problem that subtly appears across the first three songs.

It’s All Happening Now has some great brushwork on the snare, little slide guitar flourishes again lifting a simple melody. It’s another solid track and, while production on the EP as a whole is crisp, the chorus here sounds somewhat lacking; with empty space between the notes and vocals, leaving the song sounding somewhat half-done.

On A Country Job nifty little guitar line propels a well-structured song, but it must be said that the lyrics let this tune down. Aiming for a state-of-the-nation protest song, Lalor missteps. Lalor calls out “Mr. Minister-of-Finance” midway through; something that comes across as very heavy-handed.  Political lyrics tend to be most effective when employing subtle metaphor, not blatantly pointing fingers, something that Lalor doesn’t quite get right here.

The high point of the EP arrives with Try Your Best. A distorted guitar crunching out a rhythm evoking Rory Gallagher’s Bad Penny, to add to a great vocal hook. An ode to self-resolve, Lalor’s voice comes into its own, and we are given a peek at what a radio-friendly single from Lalor might look like. The verses’ words are menacing and, again, the slight slide-guitar fills out and elevates the refrain.

The Way The Wind Blows is a solemn ballad of squandered love that again sounds more fully realised than the earlier tracks, and closes the EP on a strong note with a sparse arrangement, buoyed by strong production. The strings are especially well utilised here, without intruding on the stark, up-front vocal.

‘Hand Full Of Seeds’ is full of well-written songs, executed to varying degrees of success, but overall an enjoyable listen. The songwriting on display here is of a high calibre and when the vocals work, they work well; though their delivery and lyrical content can falter here and there. All the same, a fine debut that gets better with each song. Here’s hoping the same goes for Mr Lalor himself.