The River Has Many Voices is the adopted moniker of singer-songwriter Matthew Payne who has a number of digital releases available for pay-what-you-want deals on his Bandcamp page.

We came across him via a few serendipitous clicks around the web, and our introduction came in the form of the video for the stunning If You Gotta Go (Go With Me). It was one of those marvellous moments when you know you’ve discovered someone who is going to be a long-term staple of your turntable (or digital equivalent of course). Anyhow, as soon as we had watched it we ended up listening to him for most of the evening.

His most recent release, Division, is a collection of six poetically beautiful songs of love, loss, sorrow and melancholy that are lifted far above the standards of the usual introspective folk-singer fare by the pure quality of songwriting. The combination of the simple melodies, the sparse, plucked instrumentation and the gentle, poignant vocals call to mind the rural focus of Iron & Wine, the yearning of Townes Van Zandt and the confessionals of Bonnie “Prince” Billy.

Watch. Listen. Download. Enjoy.

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