“Can You Feel the Wind?” by Bell Monks

At this point, as soon as I see a new release pop up on Wayside & Woodland Recordings’ Bandcamp page, I’m check it out sans any questions. The label, which was started by Epic45’s Ben Holton and Rob Glover, has established itself with a sonic aesthetic — dreamy, nostalgic — that consistently resonates with me.

The label’s latest release, Bell Monks’ Watching the Snow Fall, is precisely what I’ve come to expect from a Wayside & Woodland release. As heard on “Can You Feel the Wind?,” the Wisconsin-based duo of Jeff Herriott and Eric Sheffield combine languid guitars, blurred synths, and Herriott’s plaintive voice and pastoral lyrics to good effect.

If you’re at all a fan of such “nostalgist” acts as Hood, Epic45, and The Declining Winter, then Bell Monks — who have quite the Bandcamp catalog themselves — will be right up your alley.

Watching the Snow Fall will be released on November 8, 2024.