Pace Glacier - Earthmover

I first saw Vincent Bruinsma (Vincent James at that time) performing at a local coffee shop in April 2013, a few months before he released his debut EP The Wilderness Below.  Performed largely by him, with a few guest musicians on a couple tracks, the EP is a beautiful collection of haunting, atmospheric folk enhanced by his warm, soulful vocals.  About six months after the EP’s release, he was fronting what started as a three-piece under the name Vincent James and the Modest Hearts, but eventually evolved into the five (and then six) piece Run the Willow.  They released an outstanding album A Living Dichotomy in 2018, which expanded on his earlier EP in a rootsier folk rock direction, but then disbanded in 2020.  Now with the release of his new EP Earthmover, under the name Pace Glacier, he’s back to doing things on his own, actually even more than before, playing all the instruments as well as recording and mixing everything.  His sound has evolved once again and while at their core the songs, written on acoustic guitar, will take you back to that haunting, atmospheric folk of his first EP, the addition of new instrumentation, especially the synths, give them a gorgeous, ambient texture and atmosphere.  His vocals are as captivating as they have ever been and Sydney Moon’s harmony vocals on “Architect” and “Continental Divide” complement him perfectly. Vincent said he “started working on these songs a couple years ago as a way to practice recording and mixing while forcing myself to learn some new instruments”, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the outstanding production (do yourself a favor and give it a listen with headphones).  I can’t recommend Earthmover enough and look forward to hearing what he has in store for us next. (Note - Earthmover is currently only available on streaming services) 

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