Six Songs and Years in the Making, Stillwater Lines Finally Lets Us In with His Latest EP, "Riverlights"

Stillwater Lines is a songwriter and producer from Hamilton, New Zealand who's been sitting on years' worth of music. His brand-new EP, "Riverlights" is the first real look inside that world. Six tracks, all drawn from different seasons of his life, all sung by session vocalists he trusted enough to hand the reins to while he focused on the production side of things. He described it himself as "what God and I have been working on for the last few years. And with a debut album, "The Hartford Heights Project", already locked in for January 2027, 'Riverlights' is our first real taste of what his discography will sound like. Turns out, it was worth the wait!

Now in my experience, debut EPs can go either way; you either get something tentative and half-formed, or you get someone who's been holding this in long enough that it comes out fully realised. The first song out of the EP titled, 'Lights' is the latter. It opens the record without any fuss. By the time it finds its groove, you're already in. My personal highlight of the whole EP, actually. It sets you up for the rest of the EP so dang well!

There are two people in this next song. You can feel them even if the details are left deliberately open. It has the same quality as the best Cat Stevens songs. If you're going to share one song off of this EP with someone, make it this one, for sure.

Okay, so this is the Springsteen moment of the record, and I mean that as the highest possible compliment! There's something about the specificity of the title, 'Goodnight, Factory Road' The acoustic rock texture here has a little more edge to it than the previous two tracks, which I really vibed with making it a proper standout.

This one caught me off guard. There's a restlessness in 'Midnight Memories' that sits slightly apart from the rest of the EP so far. A little more unsettled. The next one is the EP's emotional centre of gravity, and, in my opinion, it absolutely earns that position! 'Forever December' sounds like being stuck in a seasonal emotional roulette. That specific feeling of time behaving strangely around something you haven't fully let go of yet. t feels personal. One of the session vocalists really delivers on this one.

The best closing tracks don't try to be the biggest moment on the record. Perhaps, they open up a window to something rather than closing it down. 'Window In The Skies' does exactly that. After everything the previous five tracks have moved through, this one offers something like a view. It's an unhurried way to end things, and it leaves you in a genuinely good headspace. I came out the other side of this EP feeling like I'd spent time with the artist himself.

'Riverlights' is available now on CD, vinyl, and streaming. Stillwater Lines will be taking these tracks out on The Secret Sessions Tour across New Zealand later this year and if you can get to one of those shows, I'd go. His debut album 'The Hartford Heights Project' follows on January 8th, 2027. Keep an eye on this one!

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