The Hundred Acre Woods

Cold In The Morning [7-inch] (2014)

RENALDO69

What's folk-punk? The Hundred Acre Woods. After stumbling across them while perusing Modern Baseball, I kept them on my radar, if only to explore my curiosity of the first sentence. What they really are is a relaxed, laid-back, harmonious acoustic setup that does have folk influences embedded, but if you look deep beneath the obvious layers, you'll find the subtle punk influences. There are a lot of endearing textures that appeal in their storytelling, and the band's decent, but with only three tracks on offer, it's hard to gain any big degree of differentiation. That said, if they pop more stuff out, it's worth a listen if you're into Koji, Grey Gordon or Into It. Over It.

"Whiskey Thieves" has a rural effect to it -- folky and bare. It's a less-polished and minimalist take on a Mumford and Sons-esque vibe. Seen "Lawless" with Tom Hardy? This fits it perfectly. While it's more folk than punk, which will always polarize fans who'd call this alternative or acoustic-indie, there's nothing encrypted except honesty and endearing lyrics. Simple is the name of the game. Nothing complex at all apart from stimulating your views on life and existentialism.

The banjo/rapid percussion breakdown combine neatly on "City Lights," and the musical theme matches the title quite nicely to change the pace of the album -- a bit more fervent, upbeat and energetic. This is where they linger on the more punk side of the equation. It's a quite snappy yet warm narrative. It isn't a big amalgamation of folk and punk, I'll say that much, but as with the acoustic "Loose Parts," there's a lot of potential. It feels like a pop-punk band stripped down to its most open and heartwarming set. This may not be punk enough for you, but if you're a fan of DIY indie music, there's something here you should be checking out.