"An exceptional artist" BBC Introducing
“This is ace” Sunday Times Culture
“Infectious” Artrocker
"Windswept, bellow-it-from-a-hilltop indie" The Fly
"Big, sweeping, stonking tunes” DIY
Reading born, Hackney based singer songwriter James Ewers aka Lonesound released his third EP The Great Outdoors (Part 3) on 21st July 2013. This being the third and final instalment in an eclectic series of three EP’s, each charting his artistic journey over the period of a year. “I felt this was an interesting way of releasing the songs I’d begun after my band split up, whilst trying things out and seeing where it might lead me."

Once front man of indie band My Luminaries, Ewers released his first solo EP The Great Outdoors (Part 1) in July 2012, picking up attention from various new music online blogs and radio. The home recorded 4 track EP mixed “sweeping, stonking" indie-pop with “Brit Buckley-esque" acoustic songwriting and showed a solo artist invigorated by his new-found musical liberation and control.

The Great Outdoors (Part 2), released in December, was a more accomplished production, demonstrating Ewers’s increasing confidence as a solo artist, by then playing live with a backing band. Pulsating indie-pop track ‘Don’t Hold Me Back’ gained airplay from DJ’s including Dermot O’Leary (BBC Radio 2), Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music) and John Kennedy (XFM), whilst making Record Of The Day. Morricone-tinged, Dalston-set ballad ‘Who Was Watching’ was used in an episode of NBC’s series ‘Smash’, whilst the complete EP made the ‘Featured Artist’ section on the US, UK & Canadian iTunes stores.

The following month saw moments in Ewers’s life that were to greatly influence the subject matter and direction of his next EP. Getting engaged on new year’s day and performing solo at Young & Lost Club’s acoustic night the following night had an assuring effect on him, “I wanted to document this monumental time lyrically, and to use more stripped back, timeless arrangements that would hold their appeal throughout further milestones to come. By playing solo and exposing the song to just voice and narrative, I found that it’s essence could connect more directly with the audience, often having more power than a loud band".

The result is The Great Outdoors (Part 3), an acoustic based EP about loneliness (‘A Place For Everyone’), companionship and future optimism (‘(You Don’t Have To Be) Strong’ and ‘As We Go Along’) and what inevitably gets left behind in moving forwards (‘Fallen Leaves’). All instruments are played by Ewers, except drums by Geoff Holroyde (Chrissie Hynde, Big Linda) and violin on ‘As We Go Along’ by Georgina Leach (Seasick Steve, The Moulettes). This time all is studio recorded and co-produced by Sam Miller (PJ Harvey, The Temperance Movement) bar ‘Fallen Leaves’, recorded in Ewers’s kitchen and certainly the closest representation of his solo live shows.

Fresh from completing a successful PledgeMusic campaign to pre-order a collection of all three EP’s (reaching over 180% of his original target), and landing support slots for such bands as Surfer Blood, Portugal. The Man and Civil Twilight, Ewers has embarked on his next creative adventure; the making of his first solo album, to be released in 2014.

The Great Outdoors EPs are now available on CD and download at the Shop.