Noble Kids Explore the Seasons with New Ep [stream]

This year, after over 10 years of calling California home, I moved to Chicago and consequently am experiencing seasons. The swampy effects of humidity during a stay-inside-at-all-costs summer, the delicate whooshing of leaves as they drift to the sidewalk and now the beginnings of the bitter cold and frostbitten winds. This experience has given me a much grander appreciation for Noble Kids‘ EP, Kingdom. You can hear Noble Kids‘ process of drifting through different colors – Kingdom sounds like a collection conceived of in nature, befit for a group huddled around a campfire or stargazing.

The entire production is a tribute to these types of elements: little imperfections kept in where lead singer Michael Steiner’s voice cracks and sections where Steiner lets loose and lets his vocals take flight. Even the four songs mirror four seasons, with EP closer “Disregard” providing a frosty winter. The sunny guitar lines in “Pine” have cooled off here into solemn, slowly strummed strings. “Pine,” the standout song, sounds like the best summer you’ve ever had, perfectly arranged and filled with great vibes.

Noble Kids claim their influences to be Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver, both good jumping-off points, but at this point, those acts have a bag of tricks more diverse and extravagant than Noble Kids display here. Kingdom is just Noble Kids‘ first studio EP, though, and they have plenty of time to hole up in the woods, or grow a magical Pecknold-ian beard (RIP). Luckily for Noble Kids maturation, there will always be another cycle of seasons, and I believe the winds of change will be in their favor. Kingdom is available to stream and download for free above!