LISTEN: Mowesby & The Northern Flicker’s “Retrograde” Is Cathartic & Atmospheric Folk

Mowesby & the Northern Flicker is a post-folk band from Worcester, MA. Their music blends introspective songwriting with atmospheric arrangements and improvisational interplay. Drawing inspiration from artists like Bon Iver, Pink Floyd, Richard Thompson, and Sigur Rós, their folk-fusion unfolds patiently, balancing delicate passages with dramatic full-band crescendos.

The project grew out of Matt Sowersby’s self-produced demo album Go Forward (2020) and took shape through a series of chance encounters. In 2022, violinist Sylvia DiCrescentis joined him for a show at The Middle East in Cambridge, MA. That night, drummer Adam Soucy, playing with another act on the bill, recognized Sowersby from college and introduced himself after the set. Soon after, Sowersby began performing with violist Katelyn Mae, and Soucy later connected him with bassist Andrew Davis, completing the core lineup.

By 2024, the project had grown into a full band, performing its first show as Mowesby & the Northern Flicker that April and releasing a live recording of “Go Forward” from the set. The band released its first studio single, “Love Tangled in the Wind,” later that year, followed by “Perspective” in 2025. Multi-instrumentalist Andy Metzger, who first collaborated with the band in live performances, has since become a permanent member. The band’s debut EP, The Long & Lonely Wave, is available on streaming services and for purchase through the band’s website.  

“Retrograde,” an early favorite from Mowesby & The Northern Flicker’s debut project, is an atmospheric, cathartic introduction to the layered magic contained in this band’s songs. This is a mystical listen, landing somewhere between familiar and alien, downtrodden yet uplifting, and all of these conflicting emotions culminate in a dramatic, romantic fashion across “Retrograde.” There is a welcoming simplicity to these lyrics, as they painfully detail the emotional journeys that go ignored on a day-to-day basis. However, “Retrograde” is far from a defeatist anthem. Something is uplifting about the murky, swelling arrangement that subtly depicts the ebbs and flows of life, making the longing in the vocals feel more like a reminder that these emotions don’t last. “Retrograde” showcases a young band with empathy reaching out a reassuring hand through pop-tinted folk, and is just one example of Mowesby & The Northern Flicker’s stunning debut EP.