EP Review: Michael Harlen 'The Big Country EP'

Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Michael Harlen will release his first solo project, The Big Country, on December 16th. The four-song project, which was recorded and mixed on analog tape, showcases Harlen’s ability not only as a songwriter (Harlen penned all the tunes himself), but in the studio as well, performing nearly every instrument on the record himself.

The Big Country begins with the delightfully catchy old-time front porch feel (courtesy of acoustic guitar, hand claps and the harmonies of Melody Rabe), of “Thumb Tack,” a tune that finds him begging his baby to come back home because without her, he doesn’t know “the first thing about living” and is “like a truck without a trailer.” That’s followed by the more somber “Waiter” where conflicting emotions balance moving forward and finding peace back home, the spacious and sentimental “Good Morning Tupelo” and the folk-inspired narrative “The Fixture” which concludes with rich brass-work from Patrick Sargent and Michael Fatum (horns), and trombonist Raymond James Mason.

​The Big Country is a short and sweet offering that makes one look forward to what’s to come from this new voice in Americana. 

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