Charlie Cunningham is an English singer-songwriter based in Oxford.

Cunningham is a fresh talent, proving to be more than just a man with a guitar and a voice—a regularity that we have become all too familiar with. His new and ambitious EP, Outside Things, combines beautiful, honest song-writing with percussive guitar playing that stands out from the crowd.

Title track “Outside Things,’” which premièred on Best Fit, has lyrics that come from the perspective of a newly-born baby. It’s a time that occurs in everyone’s life that cannot be remembered or recalled, and this explorative aspect of his song-writing shows the depth Cunningham has to offer, unlike so many artists of his type. The compelling song conveys the feeling of diving in and out from the confusion of that foreign experience and is accompanied by intense vocals that play on the track’s intimacy. “Outside Things’” carries with it a strange sense of longing, which is continuous throughout the EP.

“In One Out” is the first track to be heard on the record. It’s melodic, but profoundly somber and relatively dark, with hypnotic finger-picked guitar appearing underneath the vocals. There’s a slight step away from the intensity of the opening track and the title track on “Lights Off” and “Plans.” With far less movement, there’s time to breathe. During both of these tracks Cunningham creates moments of silence, with constant breaks where everything comes to a brief halt—if you heard these tracks live, you’d want to be situated in an intimate and silent setting.

‍The Outside Things EP not only demonstrates Cunningham’s impeccable writing ability, but his intricate and skillful playing technique, developed and picked up from his time spent in Seville, and his individual voice. Through the EP, Cunningham’s percussive, yet flexible, guitar is something to be wholeheartedly admired.