Night Beds are a Nashville folk-country group, lead by vocalist Winston Yellen. Country Sleep is their debut album, and it’s one hell of a debut at that.

Unlike a lot of recent Folk style music, this stuff brings in a strong flavor of good old country, mainly through slide guitars and Yellen’s vocals. It’s the kind of Alt-Country that we’ve lost ever since Band of Horses and The Avett Brothers watered down their sound. These tracks all manage to keep a melancholy alt-country flavor while still having elements that keep it rooted in general Indie Folk.

The main thing that sticks out on the album are Yellen’s fantastic vocals. The first track, the acapella Faithful Heights, sounds sprawling and huge with just Yellen’s vocals. On every track, there’s a sense of heartbreak and yearning bleeding through the vocals, making a lot of the sprinkling guitars and sweeping strings feel even more powerful than they were before. Yellen’s voice works like a leader, with everything around him working together to make something truly special. And on Country Sleep, they really do.

The instrumentation, while nothing truly new, is absolutely gorgeous and perfect for what the group wants to accomplish. The electric guitar and bass on Lost Springs really pick the song up and make it feel like it’s blowing around in a heavy wind. Whether parts of songs are backed by solely a guitar or by a ton of violins and drums, the songs manage to make the sadness illustrated on the cover feel painfully real.

Plus, there are no weak spots, and nothing feels truly out of place. Every track flows into the next with grace and power, with the emotional weight being carried through every track. It can sometimes be overbearing, but not enough to overtake the beauty of the music. It really manages to be a wonderful, wonderful little album. There’s nothing else to really say, other than it’s really gorgeous. And really good.

Summary: Country Sleep is an emotionally pulling, gorgeous sounding, well executed debut album, with some fantastic lead vocals.

Choice Cuts: Ramona, Even If We Try, Cherry Blossoms

Sounds Like: Andrew Bird, S. Carey

4.5/5

Stream Ramona below. Country Sleep is out 2/5 on Dead Oceans