Part-cowboy, part-pub regular, Pollyfromthedirt continues his streak of poignant English portraits on ‘The dirt pt. 2’.

Pollyfromthedirt seems to have a monopoly on songs that stop you in your tracks. With his newest release, a followup to debut EP ‘The dirt pt. 1’, the artist joins the likes of Imogen and the Knife in honouring their Northern homes. Going by an amalgamation of his mum’s name and the nickname of his market-town birthplace, Darlington, Pollyfromthedirt is becoming known for his effortless portraits of smalltown England. Previous tracks including ‘Theres no such thing as england’ quickly gathered a dedicated fan base, and their expectations have been upheld on this latest EP. The now Manchester-based musician, who engineers, mixes and masters all of his own work, once again proves himself one to watch on ‘The dirt pt. 2’. It’s immersive and unpredictable, part-cowboy, part-pub regular, reverb-soaked and evocative.

Lead single ‘When england comes’ is national anthemic and almost yearning, a guitar twanging beneath lyrics that are tender but delivered as though offhand (“I forgive you mother, for you were unbothered by what you were/What you were for my father’s sake”). It solidifies that England, in this set of songs, is something of a synonym for home. ‘Blow my lid’ maintains that intrigue, boasting the masterful half-rhymes that Pollyfromthedirt has become known for. The sound is familiar, bedroom-esque and charming, further widening the range of the EP.

‘Sounds like hell’ is a standout on the EP. It opens with what sounds like a secondhand, tinny recording of the song in demo form, then comes screaming into high definition with a killer bass hook. The intermittently glowing and stuttering synths of follow-up track ‘Don’t shoot now’ are immediately enigmatic; at points lyrically indecipherable, the song is uplifting, connective, with a well-honed and charming bedroom quality.

Closing track ‘The dirt’ initially leans acoustic, as songs about hometowns so often do. With guttural electric guitar and searing, industrial synths, Pollyfromthedirt uses this track to show off his abilities to kindle a less shrugging, more intense sentiment. It’s cyclical and infinite, so easily tear-jerking for those to whom Northern indie with an edge of desolation feels like home. The song has its intentionally preserved, even magnified imperfections- fingertips over guttural guitar strings, almost cracking vocals. It’s the perfect end to a surely attention-catching ensemble.

In this way, Pollyfromthedirt represents a younger generation who’ve been told they don’t show patriotism in the correct way by their older conservative counterparts, a sentiment reinforced by the rising far-right, despite countless examples of Britishness being embraced within pop culture and beyond. Gen-Z, now coming of age in the art scene, are rebuilding a connection that reflects their modern reality of life in the UK, as heard in records like Jim Legxacy’s ‘Black British Music’ and PinkPanthress’ ‘Fancy That’. It’s a far starker look at the country in its present state, embracing that it is a far more diverse place than older generations may recall, and acknowledging the impact of years of austerity in representations of ordinary, working-class life.

This EP exemplifies that recent movement. Neither a critique of patriotism, nor a show of it, it simply invokes England, allowing younger listeners to build their own ideas of national and regional identity. Themes of nationality and identity run into the visual world of the EP as well, with single covers including an archetypal British Chinese takeaway smoldering in the night, and a low-resolution photo of a Sunday roast. That haziness of nostalgia is transformed by a brashly constructed soundworld that’s wholly unlike anything before it. The release undoubtedly meets the early hype that has surrounded Pollyfromthedirt, whose music insists upon being heard, appreciated, and reckoned with.