Review: River Whyless Brings Spontaneous Creative Energy to DIY 'Monoflora'

Since their debut in 2012, River Whyless has been one of the most unique and consistently excellent bands in the independent folk genres. With their new album, Monoflora, out Apr. 8, River Whyless is going all the way back to those early roots, working without a producer for the first time since their debut A Stone, A Leaf, An Unfound Door.

The album began in 2019 when the four sequestered themselves in drummer Alex McWalters' cabin outside Asheville, NC. Eschewing their usual well-prepared and rehearsed material, the four entered the cabin with a blank slate. Each member brought elements to the table to be fleshed out and arranged in real-time, often getting the feel for the song right within the first couple of takes.

The lack of a studio environment (though with professional equipment, purloined from multi-instrumentalist Daniel Shearin's recording studio) forced the group back to their acoustic folksy roots, a pivot from the more electric and synth forward sound of their last two albums. While there is still plenty of bold experimentation on Monoflora, the breakneck speed and DIY studio environment brought focus back to what River Whyless does best, vocal interplay and lyrical brilliance.

Vocally, this is everything any River Whyless fan could want and more. The band's three vocalists (Halli Anderson, Ryan O'Keefe, and Daniel Shearin) pass lead and harmony vocals back and forth effortlessly and selflessly, the needs of the song dictating which voice dominated. While the harmonies are tight, each individual voice is still distinguishable.

Lyrically, Monoflora touches on familiar themes of wanderlust, a more innocent youth, and the wonders of the natural world. Highlights include the lead single “Promise Rings”, about a time when romance was easier, “Lost in Place”, with its hints of Magical Mystery Tour era Beatles pop, and “To Fight Aloud is Very Brave”, the album's only non-original cut, setting one of Emily Dickinson's more enigmatic poems to a gentle piano line and harmony leads from all three vocalists.

I don't know if this kind of improvisational writing and recording style would work for River Whyless long-term. They're a band that never seems content to settle into any one thing. But, on Monoflora at least, it bottled their creative energy, a dash of their Carolina locale, and the thrill of pure creation into an album that's worth repeat listens.