The release of the third album by Yorkshire singer-songwriter August Gilde went largely unnoticed. In truth, his debut produced by John Wood, "A Different Kind", hadn't drawn much interest from either audiences or critics.
A somewhat kinder fate was reserved for "Animals", a brilliant and fully realized work with which the musician, aided by the equally deserving Hjalte Ross, left behind his role as a Nick Drake disciple, embracing a broader, sturdier folk vein that pairs the candor of the British scene with the solitary, rugged nature of American country music.
Released in October 2025, "The First Of August" is currently only available to stream on Spotify. Preceded by the single "Someone New", the record isn't even listed on the musician's Bandcamp store. Why this choice was made remains a mystery, which is a shame, because this collection of nine songs opens up new perspectives for the English artist. The tracks span a wide time frame, with old demos and live recordings alternating in what feels like a summary chapter of everything worked on so far, before moving on toward the future. For those who already loved the "Animals" album, this collection of demos and unreleased material offers further reasons for interest: the delicate "Wren's Bone", the dark and cryptic "The Chase", the vibrant "Someone New" and the intense piano-and-strings chamber-folk of "Savage World".
The more uneven nature of "The First Of August" doesn't stop this collection from earning a notable place in the contemporary singer-songwriter landscape. The nervy, almost psych-folk guitar textures of "The Devil", the faint, ethereal fingerpicking and whisper-sung vocals of "Air To Breathe", and the short but intense folk-blues ballad "When The Wind Blows In" are further reason to file August Gilde's name among those worth keeping an eye on.
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01/03/2026
This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Gianfranco Marmoro, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.
Tracklist
- 1. The Devil
- 2. Someone New
- 3. Air To Breathe
- 4. When The Wind Blows In
- 5. The Fox And The Owl
- 6. Conversations With The Setting Sun
- 7. The Chase
- 8. Wren's Bone
- 9. Savage World
August Gilde on OndaRock
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