This duo might come from Southland in New Zealand but they could just as surely have found a foothold in the American Midwest with songs like the catchy On the Run (a slightly reshaped rockabilly number which twists on the Tequila riff) or the ballads Black Hills Dakota and How Could Have Known. 

Into the East are Graeme Woller and Liv McBride who recorded this debut album of impressive and understated originals in various local locations and managed to get it off the ground through the Pledge Me website and a number of other musicians whose discreet presence add colour. 

That groundswell of public support has allowed them to present this beautifully packaged album (tip o' the hat to illustrator Hanna Isaac) which engages by virtue of the sensitivity in the songs, Woller's clear and confidently dark vocals and McBride's gra­cefully empathetic style. And they deliver lovely harmonies as if they were born to it. 

Into the East have apparently been together nine years, but as this album proves, the best dishes are slow cooked because the resulting flavors are more subtle. 

2013 Rythmethod