What a day today was! Snow crippled the roads of the North East and (Britain being useless when it comes to snow) it took me 1 hour 40 to do a journey that should have taken 25 minutes! I commented to my partner that there was a snail overtaking us on the inside lane…but that mini rant aside I am home in front of the fire now and have just listened to a double release from North Norfolk based folk performer Ervin Munir. We have covered Ervin a few times here at the magazine, I have reviewed him myself, and noted a development toward new ingredients entering the folk based sound. His press tells me that he writes heartfelt songs about life and social injustice and he performs these solo and in his band. In August 2022 he started working with producer Aeron Z Jones and they have been creating great studio recordings of Ervin’s songs ever since.
The two singles I am listening to today are “Today’s Another Day,” released on November 15, and I am also covering “Lifeline” which will be released on the 29th November. So it could be argued I am late with the former and early with the latter!
Let’s do “Today’s Another Day” first:
The press release tells us that “the Sheringham based musician found inspiration for the track in a classic film moment. “I was watching Gone With The Wind and Scarlett’s line ‘Tomorrow’s another day’ really stuck with me,” Ervin explains. “We all have those days where everything feels overwhelming. Sometimes you just need to close the door on it and trust that tomorrow brings a fresh start.” The song opens with angelic sounds that give way to a warm guitar melody before Ervin’s familiar vocal style takes center stage. It’s a sound his growing audience has come to know well since he began his prolific run of releases in October 2022, delivering over 20 singles and two acclaimed albums including “Pure and Simple” earlier this year.”
My review – I will note that the actress Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind is an absolute favorite of mine, such a talent, and so beautiful at the same time! The picture accompanying the song is interesting, a little bleak. And perhaps the song is a touch of that fatalistic note that today’s another day (another day above ground!) – I liked the touches of harmony singing in the song that I don’t usually associate with Ervin. Also, although the message is a bit bleak, the song itself is quite uplifting, shades of color, not black and white alone! The song runs to just over four minutes and it is a pleasing wander through the park on a late Autumn evening.
“Lifeline” is not out at the time of posting this review, but it is on its way this month, the last of the single releases before the album comes out in early 2026. This one is a collaborative effort and the press release tells me , a powerful collaboration with local vocalist Kate Swanson that marks new territory for the songwriter.
“This one’s different from what I usually put out,” Ervin says of the emotional track. “It’s about that moment when someone comes into your life and pulls you back from loneliness. Sometimes one person can change everything.” The song opens with delicate piano tones before Kate’s serene yet powerful vocal takes the lead. When Ervin joins for the chorus, the two singers blend in harmony over powerful guitar arrangements and soaring leads that build throughout the track. For Ervin, working with Swanson brought a fresh dynamic to his songwriting. The collaboration shines a bright light on both artists’ strengths while also exploring themes of connection and hope that run through much of Ervin’s work on albums like “Broken Compass” and “Pure and Simple.”
My Review: I liked the piano and drum sound to this one, it added a different shade to the music and I quickly enjoyed the vocals from Kate Swanson and the instrumental breaks. The song has a lovely confident sway to it and the track works really well throughout. It is very different from what Ervin usually puts out, but it’s really interesting and very Radio 2 commercial, I would be very happy to hear it on the radio and I was cheered up by it.
Two releases, two moods, and both show an artist steadily expanding his palette. If you’ve followed Ervin so far, these will feel like the next natural steps — and if you haven’t, this is a pretty great place to start. Snow may have slowed the world to a crawl today, but Ervin Munir just delivered two singles that warmed things right back up — one for the soul, one for the heart.
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You can stream music by Ervin Munir here
By Stevie Ritson