Over the years, I’ve watched Damon Miles throw himself across stages nationwide whilst wailing into a mic and frantically working his electric guitar and peddles as the front-man for two-piece garage/psych/grunge band, Mouse. Imagine my surprise, then, when I clicked play on his solo EP Day Creature and was subdued by the gentle plucking of an acoustic guitar and a voice raised barely above a whisper.
This is a far cry from what Damon does with Mouse. It’s indie folk music in a similar vein to Daniel Johnson and Elliott Smith that I find incredibly endearing. Day Creature is a small collection of heartfelt, romantic songs that are just well written, and it’s one of the cutest folk releases to come out of South Africa in a while. I mean that as an absolute compliment. I know cute can have negative connotations but I think Day Creature is cute without being twee- a rarity among South Africans with acoustic guitars.
Keep up with Damon Miles on Instagram.
