7/10

Over these last few years, emerging singer-songwriter Naylor Stone has been busy crafting a fresh and distinctive direction in which to call his own. Taking his cues from the riveting, narrative-driven ascent of the alt-folk scene, and blending it with a progressive approach to both songwriting and production, his pursuits have resulted in a wonderful broad and inventive aesthetic, one that looks to add something new and interesting to the new music scene. And with plenty of innovation under his belt already, he now looks to introduce himself with his debut EP 'The Game Of They,', a collection that oozes with a rich and dynamic allure.

Built upon a foundation of rock, jazz, blues, and country textures, which have been core to his organic sound over the years, 'The Game Of They' looks to present itself as a wildly compelling and electrifying introduction as it plays. While the opener 'If It Wasn't For The Trees' delivers a sense of grandeur to the release, it is its title-track that sees him kick things up a notch, adopting a swaggering, toe-tapping groove throughout. It is this subtle ebb and flow of pace that keeps us firmly on our toes, and establishes Naylor Stone as one of the more unpredictable names rising through the ranks right now.

It may still be very early days for his newfound career right now, but 'The Game Of They' certainly looks to kick things off with an alright bang. Dabbling in this bold and eclectic ascension across all six tracks, Naylor Stone looks set to become one of the more vivid additions to the scene for the year ahead.