There is something compelling about a record that understands darkness as more than an aesthetic. On COVEN, their six-track EP released October 31, 2026, Until They Burn Me explore witchcraft, folklore, obsession and superstition through a collection of songs that blur the boundaries between the supernatural and the deeply human. Rather than building a conventional concept record, the duo connect six distinct stories through a shared atmosphere of unease.
The creative partnership of Cody Carlyle, Travis Jordan and Travis Martin draws on Americana, dark country, folk, blues and rock, but COVEN appears most interested in what happens when those traditions are pushed into less predictable territory. The opening track, “Charlotte and the Witch,” introduces the EP’s central tension through a story of unrequited love and desperation. Its premise suggests an interesting examination of how emotional vulnerability can lead people toward questionable choices. “Blackbird” shifts the focus to blues and ominous symbolism, drawing on the longstanding association between birds and foreboding.
“Bedbugs,” an instrumental interlude, provides a change of pace, using its position in the tracklist to deepen the record’s unsettling atmosphere. The remaining songs, “Leechcraft,” “Long Meg” and “Sister Midnight,” extend the EP’s fascination with folklore and shadowy narratives, completing a collection that feels more like a gathering of strange tales than a tightly plotted story.
What makes Until They Burn Me interesting is their resistance to genre expectations. Carlyle and Jordan have shared a musical history spanning more than 35 years, first working together in The Dry Season before reuniting creatively. Now collaborating across home studios in Washington and Ohio, their approach allows individual songs to dictate their musical direction rather than conforming to a predetermined identity.
That freedom gives COVEN its character, although a collection built around such strong thematic material also risks becoming more atmospheric than emotionally revealing. The real challenge is ensuring that the stories leave a lasting impression beyond their dark imagery.
Still, COVEN represents another intriguing chapter in a catalogue that continues to resist easy classification. In a musical landscape where genre identity often becomes a marketing exercise, Until They Burn Me make a convincing case for following the story wherever it leads, even when it leads somewhere uncomfortable.
COVEN is out now.
Featured Image: Artist Supplied
