Does anyone expect a folk album to begin with beat-boxing? Inni-K starts as she means to continue on ‘The King Has Two Horse’s Ears’.

Rightly so. The words ‘folk’ and ‘singer-songwriter’ often have critics rolling their eyes before their finger even hits the play button. Here, however, the vastly talented multi-instrumentalist fights to diversify herself from the crowd, and she succeeds.

Production is sharp and pop-driven on some tracks – Find Your Beat is so glossy in its finish it sounds like it could be one from Max Martin’s back catalogue. A curveball comes in the form of Find Your Beat‘s verses, which are as Gaeilge, no less.

Inni-K’s vocals are impenetrably warm, even on the bleaker tracks. DNA sees her coo over deep pianos and inextricable lyrics.

“Why you ended it all puzzles everyone …”  she languishes, as the harmonies roll over layers of strings and keys.

Flower Relay is slightly more chirpy and quick paced, taking inspiration from her beautiful surroundings. The pace is extremely controlled, to great effect, mimicking the growth of each flower reeled off.

It’s not all made showing off for Inni-K, mind. Gentle Star, the track for which she is probably best known for is beautifully simple – repeated piano chords, delicate percussion and a soft vocal delivery. It is artistry at its most bare – and probably at its finest. Player Queen is also stunningly stark initially, only for other instruments to drop in unexpectedly on top of the poor unassuming ukulele. Less certainly would have been more here.

Inni-K displays more of her beat-boxing prowess on Come With Me, embodying a more worldly sound and dressing her simple folk lyrics in broad vocals and multiple instruments.

Considering the bad rap the folk genre gets in mainstream media, unassuming Inni-K has single-handedly quelled all generalisations of folk music on this near-perfect effort. Polished to perfection, experimental and bold, ‘The King Has Horse’s Ears’ administers an ample injection of cool which could see folk music being brought more to the mainstream.