Soothing, southern, country twangs opened Ciaran Lavery’s latest EP ‘Kosher’ as he tells of the day he Left for America. For one frightening moment it seemed he was going to inform listeners “you only love her when you let her go”. Luckily this transatlantic passenger follows a different flight path as the EP progresses towards its destination.

Like Christian Bale  in the Dark Knight trilogy , Ciaran’s voice gets strangely huskier with each instalment. Similarly the music progresses into a deeper rock mode as more electrics, synths and sound effects are added to the production. The order of songs is a deliberate attempt to take us on a journey through Ciaran’s wide vocal and musical range.

Sophomore Rising could be the second year sequel to Mrs Robinson, indeed the next song is entitled Boxer, although echoes of MGMT make it very different to Simon and Garfunkel’s near namesake.

By now the folk/rock of the opening tracks has evolved into a satisfying synth rock, complete with electric guitars and crowd chanting. The line “I was a boxer then, I was knocking men out for fun,” burns itself into the subconscious after the first listen; surely the sign of a knockout blow. The live crowd effects of in the background may have created an illusion but this song has late night, outdoor, summer festival potential.

Ciaran’s voice takes on a rougher edge as the electronics slip into higher gear and this vocal style carries through the remainder of ‘Kosher’.

The opening chords of Ragtime song have a grunge feel about them. The melody is beautiful and haunting, violins adding to the effect, by the time it reaches the bridge Ciaran’s voice has morphed into a hearty Rod Stewart growl.

Orphan finishes the EP. An up-tempo country/jazz stomp. Rod Stewart gravel is in full rasp mode. This one is definitely aimed at the drunken revellers chanting “one more song”. “A chorus of “woahawoahwoahawoahwoah” is quickly learned and although the EP version is short, this song could easily be extended beyond ten minutes of tub-thumping mayhem in a live setting.

Blues, Folk, Rock, Grunge even Jazz are some of the influences used to build an EP with plenty of depth. At times easy listening, other times dark and brooding, the playlist is catchy from the start but has enough complexity to make repeated plays a rewarding experience. At times Ciaran’s huskiness can come across as self-conscious and contrived, surely he is  too young to have smoked that amount of Amber Leaf.

A great variation on Ireland’s pervasive folk/rock scene and a musician worth seeking out on Northern Ireland’s summer festival circuit.