Piper Butcher's new EP 'Directions' is out now

If you've been keeping an eye on the local music scene, you may have noticed that Newcastle-born singer-songwriter Piper Butcher has a new release out. She put out her EP Directions last Friday, 23 October, through Community Music. It's a short record, with five original songs running for about 17 minutes, so it's easy to listen to all the way through in one sitting.

The EP was produced by Andy Mak, an Australian producer and songwriter who has worked on a long list of records and is a multiple ASCAP-winning writer. Two other musicians also contributed: Austin Mackay, a country and folk artist who is also from Newcastle, and Alex Laska, lead guitarist of the alternative rock band Kingswood. Laska is credited as the writer of "Never Know You Again", one of the tracks, which is sung in English and runs at 117 BPM. According to Beehive Candy, the songs focus on direct feelings rather than metaphors, and the record sits across country, folk and pop.

For anyone who has followed Piper's progress, the EP is a continuation of a path that started a long way from the studio. She began singing before she could talk, and she got her first live gig at a Newcastle café open mic night when she was 11. Since then she has built her profile through a run of singles, an EP called September in 2021, and a steady schedule of local and interstate shows. Directions gives listeners a new set of songs to judge against that background.

If you want to hear it, the EP is available on the iTunes Store, and the artist's social channels are the best place to keep track of upcoming shows. Whether you're a longtime fan of Newcastle's country and roots scene or someone just getting into it, it's a short listen that lets you decide for yourself where Piper's sound is heading.