For those new to the man and his music, Norfolk based Ervin Munir is a singer-songwriter who mainly falls under the folk genre. 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.
Rock the Joint Magazine spoke to Ervin back in 2023 around the time he released his debut album and I happen to know he is releasing a couple of songs right now as precursors to a new album pencilled in for an early 2026 release. Today we are listening to “I Don’t Care” and “Live and Learn” (influenced by ‘Green Day’ apparently, which slightly surprised me!).
To tell the truth I was meant to do this review about a week ago, but I have had a bad week and was generally very grumpy about a range of things. I’m going to share one moment and you will get my drift (I’m so glad to be with this magazine as Benny and Mark encourage chat, other magazines would shoot me lol). Anyway, I’m in Greggs this morning (other sellers of tea and bacon baps are available) with the baby, who was not having a bap – and I’m aware of this guy very close behind me. He is holding an unpaid sandwich, then he knocks into me, spills my tea that I’m holding all over the baby’s chair, grabs my phone and legs it out of the store. That honestly typifies my week and I felt like sharing it (police of course absolutely bloody useless and did nothing). But here I am at home feeling depressed, so Ervin needs to really do his thing here and uplift my spirits.
On to – my review.
“I Don’t Care.” came out on September 19. This is a piano ballad about not falling in love. It has a melancholic winter feel to it, yet the harmony instrumental mid-section is dreamy and the latter section of the track has a certain uplift, even if the sentiment is more morose. You do get carried along with this anti-love vibe, maybe it fits my mood right now!
“Live and Learn” is faster and more uplifting. It was actually the earlier release coming out on September 5. I liked it, it delivered a whistle and a drum beat that succeeded in making me feel better! Music has a function to entertain me, and this one did. It has a broad Radio 2 style appeal, a pop-rock-folk delivery and I thought it was a good vehicle for Ervin’s voice….and objects in the rear view mirror…
Thus Ervin Munir continues to build his folk-inspired catalogue with two fresh singles, the reflective piano-led “I Don’t Care” and the upbeat, whistle-laced “Live and Learn.” Both tracks showcase his ability to balance heartfelt songwriting with accessible, radio-friendly appeal.
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You can stream music from Ervin Munir here
By Stevie Ritson