New Zealand-born and Nashville-based Americana/Folk band, South For Winter, is excited to announce the release of the Acoustic Sessions EP; a follow-up of their critically-acclaimed debut album, Luxumbra. The EP, set to release on June 23, is the final fulfillment from their successful 2020 crowdfunding campaign for their album’s independent release, which reached over 120% of its funding goal. The “Acoustic Sessions” EP contains four acoustic versions of songs from Luxumbra, each of which were hand-picked by the band’s loyal Kickstarter supporters.
Listen to Acoustic Sessions on SoundCloud.
Luxumbra is trio South for Winter's debut full-length album, and they left nothing on the table as they packed storytelling lyrics, complex instrumentation, and weaving harmonies into all thirteen tracks on the record. On Luxumbra, South for Winter dances deftly from bluesy murder ballads to airy acoustic duets; from traditional stomp and holler to smooth jazz; from stripped-back instrumentals to heavily layered folk-rock; and everywhere in between. Luxumbra is a true representation of the unique and eclectic sound that has become the band’s signature. Luxumbra was recorded at The Tracking Room studio in Nashville TN and produced by GRAMMY award-winning Matt Leigh.
Listen to Luxumbra on Spotify.
Their first album single, “Twine,” premiered on Out From The Pine Box in April 2019 and was selected as a DJ Pick by Nashville’s Lightning 100 Radio. Musical Notes Global premiered the trio’s next album single, “Ten Black Crows,” and Paste’s Noisetrade featured the live music video for the following release of “All We Have.” The subsequent single of “Devil is a’Calling” premiered on The Static Dive and was featured by BuzzMusic. In June 2020 the official music video for “Devil is a’Calling” debuted on Ditty TV’s World Premiere and was broadcasted through DittyTV’s station, The Curve. Grateful Web premiered their next single “Always You” in July, and a live performance of the track aired on News Channel 4’s Today in Nashville. Stone Cold Crazy afterward interviewed the band about their story and album. Their final album single “Stone” was premiered by American Songwriter in September 2020. VENTS Magazine then premiered the album’s release in October 2020, with AmericanaUK reviewing the album soon after and describing it as "A complex meditation on life, an ethereal, dreamy, journey sharpened with an underlying aggressive blues-edge …A journey well-worth taking". Luxumbra also received praise and support from the radio community, including DJ Bruce Swan of WPKN playing the album from start to finish on radio show “Music My Mother Would Not Like” and WFUV’s DJ John Platt choosing Luxumbra as his “Top DJ Pick” of 2021. The release turned heads in the Americana world, leading to South for Winter’s nominations as an Official Showcase Artist at Folk Alliances Midwest and Southwest Regional in 2021 and Folk Alliance International in 2022. Between these releases, South for Winter has been touring from coast to coast in the U.S. and Canada, even completing their first New Zealand tour in early 2022 and receiving raving tour press from sites like 13th Floor NZ and Music.net.nz.
South for Winter is composed of New Zealander Nick Stone (vocals, guitar), Coloradan Dani Cichon (vocals, mandolin), and Michigan cellist Alex Stradal. The powerhouse trio has risen quickly through the ranks of roots musicians in their three years as a band - receiving nominations as a rising artist by Nashville's Lightning 100 Radio station in 2018, a "Most Wanted" Emerging Artist by Falcon Ridge Festival in 2019, and a top 10 artist of 2019 by Buzz Music LA. They have not only received rave reviews from publications, but have also had an outpouring number of support through social media and Spotify (reaching over 9K listeners, 221K Streams, and 600 followers this year alone - and still growing). Their fan base additionally helped fund the independent release of Luxumbra, raising over $12,000 in donations through a Kickstarter campaign even when it launched in the first stages of the current pandemic.
