Review: Jason Lenyer Buchanan delivers one of the year’s best with ‘Under a Thumbnail Moon’ EP
Buchanan doesn’t hold back on his new EP
The beauty of Jason Lenyer Buchanan‘s music lies between the delicate, flowing folds of folk. Listen to “Sometimes,” and you’ll hear what I mean. As the crown jewel of his new EP, the deep cut radiates a heavy world-weariness that soaks into your skin. From Buchanan’s supple, yet sorrowful, vocal performance to the evening tide of strings that act as a voice of its own, there’s something magnificent about the song that transcends space and time. It’s as though Buchanan has captured lightning in a bottle; that just doesn’t happen every day. That’s what you’ll experience across his Under the Thumbnail Moon, a six-song project that easily arrives as among 2025’s finest moments.
“If the Creek Don’t Rise” cracks open the EP with a giddy-up that’s as emotional as it is infectious. Buchanan’s sweet, hi-ho vocal tricks entice you into his world, and you stay for the gripping tales about longing and resilience. The titular cut pulls in the reins, moving as though water trickling from the ground, while “The Aisle” pulls a lonesomeness out of Buchanan’s body as though transmitting its message from the other side. Its ghostly shadows linger as the final frame fades from your eardrums, and you’re left haunted and desperate for more.
Jason Lenyer Buchanan might not be a name you recognize, but you will soon enough.
Buchanan’s Under the Thumbnail Moon arrives everywhere on May 31.
