First Impressions: Changes by Hayley Reardon

A few years back, singer-songwriter Hayley Reardon packed her guitar and took off for the world. A folk prodigy of sorts who turned ears at age 12 when she competed in the Boston Folk Festival Songwriting Contest, she released mature-beyond-her-years albums and EPs in the mid-‘10s and, in 2019, scored a six-month artistic residency in Dachau, Germany, that was to have started in 2020. (It was, like much of life, pushed back to 2022 due to the pandemic.) Along the way, she continued to write and record. I first became aware of her via “The Little Sadness,” which showed up on YouTube as a recommended video.

The six-song Changes EP, which she recorded in Barcelona with such collaborators as guitarist Pau Figueres and recording engineer Aniol Bestit Collellmir, is evidence that her talent is still evolving. It’s a remarkable outing. Folk-based with dashes of pop as well as a few Catalan flourishes, it’s sure to conjure the troubadours of yesteryear to some ears due to the relaxed arrangements and acoustic guitars, but it’s not a mimeographed recreation by any means. Reardon’s vocals are enticing, and I’m sure someone, somewhere, will come up with an apt comparison. But the standout here isn’t her delivery, as good as it is. It’s the songs.

The EP opens with “Honest,” about love, hesitation and how time slips from our grasp like water: “You said nothing is wasted/but there goes another year.” “The Opposite,” for its part, ponders progress, self-doubt and hospital bills, while “Birds Like Little Soldiers” delves into Earth’s changing climate and how “destruction is a lengthy affair.” “Bleed Together,” for its part, recalls a past friendship/relationship, shared dreams and a parting of ways that leaves her wondering whether he or she ever thinks of her.

“Changes,” a collaboration with Catalan singer-songwriter Judit Neddermann, is a pure delight as it digs into the ever-evolving aspect of this thing we call life: “Maybe we won’t know who we are/until we’re not anymore.” The EP concludes with “Enough Is Everything,” a delicate dance about “a thinking heart and a feeling head.” Each song is a gem.

The track list: