Cedarsmoke’s music sits comfortably between indie folk, alt-country, psychedelic rock, and emotionally direct storytelling. Led by Jon Cloumassis’ lyric-focused songwriting, the Brisbane/Meanjin-based band shape bittersweet memories, private reflections, and vivid melodies into arrangements that can move from earthy folk warmth to wider psychedelic spaces. Their sound is difficult to pin to one genre, and that looseness suits them. Poetic writing remains the anchor, while the instrumentation gives each song room to feel familiar, melancholic, cinematic, and slightly unpredictable.
On “Whenever You’re Around,” Cedarsmoke step away from the synthetic-organic layers of their recent concept album and return to something much barer. The result is conversational, intimate, and deeply emotional, built around old memories, observations unfolding in real time, and story-driven characters. Originally recorded in 2020, the song will appear on the band’s upcoming acoustic folk EP.
Written and recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown period, when full-band studio sessions were restricted, “Whenever You’re Around” carries the intimacy of those circumstances. Heavy production gives way to raw acoustic simplicity, making the song feel like a small time capsule from a period defined by distance and isolation.
Cedarsmoke describe the approach as “stripped back to the bones.” That choice marks a clear shift from the synthetic-organic hybrid experimentation heard on their 2025 album “Under The Rainbow.” Here, the sonic landscape is built largely from natural acoustic textures.
Acoustic guitar provides the pulse, with its steady strumming giving the song an easy, unforced momentum. A harmonica enters around that foundation, deepening the nostalgic pull without crowding the arrangement. Its presence adds a worn, reflective quality that suits the song’s emotional weight.
Cloumassis sings in a conversational folk cadence, resisting anything overly theatrical. His delivery feels closer to a late-night face-to-face conversation than a polished performance. He sounds unhurried, grounded, and vulnerable, allowing the words to determine where the song lingers and where it moves.
That restraint gives the writing space to land. “Whenever You’re Around” moves through nostalgia and immediate reflection, threading together old memories with passing observations. Distinct characters appear throughout the lyric, giving the song a lived-in quality that feels personal without becoming overstated.
The overall mood is warm, evocative, and melancholic. There is a strong living room session atmosphere to the recording, a sense of closeness that sits naturally against the isolation of the period in which it was made.
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