It’s been six years since Jack Kaye last released music with his band, The Magic Gang, after the group went their separate ways at the height of their powers, with two top twenty albums, countless international festivals and a sold out Camden Roundhouse under their belts. For Jack, what followed was a period of self reflection, reconciliation and experimentation, in music as in life. He followed old passions down new paths, collaborated with others, started a family and eventually, slowly but surely, rediscovered his voice.

His debut solo release is the result of that period. The EP puts a clear stamp on Jack’s contribution to his old band’s sound, while presenting a new depth in the lyrics, arrangements and production. His pop instincts are on display, but the words and their delivery are something new; there’s a sense of experience absent in his previous work: A rugged maturity haunted by echoes of the Magic Gang’s reckless abandon.

Influences can be picked out; from The Replacements to Dr Dog to Cate Le Bon, but the themes vary. Whether it’s character centred storytelling, self reckoning, or forlorn romance, the EP carries both a sense of uplift and plaintive longing. Jack called on musician friends old (former bandmates Angus Taylor and Paeris Giles) and new (Asya Fairchild and George Boorman) to perform with him and play on the recordings. Fairchild’s accompanying female vocal adds a tender counterpoint to Jack’s brooding lead, with the result something distinctly collective: many voices united in a single room, boldly resetting the course of a cult, indie songwriter.