Death and loss are a part of all of our lives; often they are themes that lie at the heart of the art we create or consume. In Phil Everum’s case, they form the basis for the most heartfelt, unfortunate turns of genius.

Written in the wake of the death of his wife to cancer – an artist and the mother of his child – Mount Eerie’s ‘A Crow Looked At Me’ drifts through the darkest of places trying to find light and meaning in the saddest aspects of life and death.

With all the softness of Iron And Wine and the poetic touch of a young Leonard Cohen, ‘Swims’ is a truly pained, delicate song about what it means to lose your muse.