Track45 // Grew Up On // EP Review

A trio from Meridian, MS with impressive credits that include Justin Timberlake, HARDY, Weezer and Dierks Bentley along with over 1.8 million streams of one of their release (‘Family’) is something not to be sniffed at. However, when you throw in the fact that these three people are family – in fact, siblings, brings a huge change to the norm. Granted, the fact that any group may be made up of a brother and sisters shouldn’t be the main focal point of a music review however in this case the closeness of the group is stunningly reflected in the music that they make.

Having released their debut EP Small Town in 2020 and followed it up with Big Dreams in 2021, the time has arrived for the third EP which is made up of 5 tracks and utilised the skills of Grammy-winning producer Byron Gallimore.

The Country group made up of Jenna, Ben and KK Johnson brings their unique talent of unparalleled harmonies back to your eardrums as they navigate their way around the different influences that feed into and out of Country music. The harmonies are that good, you could be forgiven for realising that they were happening, other than the fact that the sound cannot be created by one person.

As soon as you press play on ‘Drinkin and Thinkin’ you will be fully engaged and singing along with the group and it doesn’t stop there. As you progress through the EP and things get a little more stripped back on ‘Grew Up On’ you will be toe-tapping and playing along with the strings on display. This sounds like a group who really enjoy their music and are very mature in what they produce.

By the time you reach ‘Hate Me’ you will already be scrolling through the back catalogue to ensure you have the previously released EPs and as the apt closer ‘Family’ draws down the curtain on this release, you want the next instalment to kick in straight away. This is the true sign of a great release that grabs you and leaves an imprint on you.

This EP is one of the best that I have heard in a while and would ask that any fan of Country give this a whirl. This is so much more than a family EP – it is a top quality EP made by family.

The new EP Grew Up On is available Friday (14th July), available to pre-save/pre-add here.

Ed Ford

Tracklist