It’s hard not to think of this EP from Cameron Whitcomb as a victory lap. The singer-songwriter from Nanaimo, British Columbia, released his critically acclaimed, commercially successful debut album, The Hard Way, less than a year before dropping this quintet of songs, and notched two JUNO Awards—Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Country Album of the Year for The Hard Way—along the way. Steeped in the confessional bent of stars like Zach Bryan and Sam Barber, Whitcomb has amassed a rabid following in that time, too, one champing at the bit for new material. Deep Water won’t disappoint fans hoping for more of the emotional, anthemic roots-pop that defined The Hard Way, something made quickly evident on the title track. Somehow, though, Whitcomb goes bigger and bolder here, adding sunny gang vocals at the chorus and letting his voice flow more loosely than on earlier material. The EP also includes hit single “Kingdom of Fear,” a rapid-fire meditation on love and anxiety.