George O’Hanlon - “The Storm”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 6

Pairs Well With…Vance Joy, Dermot Kennedy, Lewis Capaldi

Emerging UK troubadour George O’Hanlon strikes an immediately emotional tone on debut EP The Storm, a collection that moves from quiet grace to explosive choruses across these introductory four tracks. Employing a sweet, minimal pop voice rich with natural texture, O’Hanlon performs sad songs and love songs with an equal amount of subtle passion. He holds back nicely to match the chamber folk tones that form the backbone of his lovely ballads, patiently giving time for a build to the robust endings that define the songs of The Storm. While folk based, O’Hanlon’s music is fully electric, embracing dynamics that really help drive the beauty within these songs, patient but never quite sparse. To strike this much gold so early in his career is a great sign for this emerging artist as he makes his first swing through SXSW this March. (Kevin McStravick)