There’s something so revitalising about the first signs of spring. Seeing the blossoms and daffodils in bloom, new leaves beginning to bud on the trees, the clouds occasionally parting to remind you how uplifting a few warm rays of sun can be. Sometimes a grey, bleak winter can drag on for so long that it feels like it will never end. Yet spring arrives regardless. It always does. Flowers bloom, trees sprout leaves, the sun shines, that is their nature – and you can’t deny nature forever. The same is true of our own nature; no matter how the world may try and supress it, eventually it too will bloom like a beautiful flower. Fieldlily is a project with an air of spring renewal about it. After the book closed on indie folk trio Wildwood Kin, sisters Emillie and Bethany Key took a little while to reflect before starting over as duo. Music is their nature, as intrinsic and inevitable as the spring, and having taken time to process what once was, and what this new chapter means, it’s at last ready to bloom anew.

Their aptly named debut EP Grow holds all the promise of fresh shoots. Returning fans of Wildwood Kin will find precisely what they’re looking for: gorgeous harmonies and sweeping cinematic folk arrangements. ‘Let Go’ sees the sisters’ voices intertwine, swirling and drifting by like the breeze, while soft acoustic harmonics strike like falling raindrops. There’s a subtle dreamy blur to the production of ‘Tell It How It Is’ that feels like viewing the world through the eyes of an impressionist painter, with a few melodies reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel. Yet what sets this new chapter apart is the blend of tenderness and resolve in the songwriting. The fear of starting over, not knowing where the road may lead, but having the courage to take that first step all the same. The gentle, uncertain folk of the title track, trying to keep steady (“take it one day, one day at a time ….the world keeps spinning and I’m trying to figure it out“), slowing growing in confidence as gorgeous lead lines and expressive bass expands the arrangement. The way the soft piano balladry that opens ‘Shelter’ builds towards a triumphant and impactful climax, that offers a welcome reminder that, together, we are strong enough to weather any storm.

Fieldlily’s debut EP Grow is out now, and is perfect for fans of Wildwood Kin, The Staves and Fleet Foxes