It was South Africa’s initial lockdown in 2020 that forced Capetonian singer-songwriter Jacob Swann into the studio to record his debut EP, after many years of performing in and around the Mother City. Swann’s subsequent EP is steeped in the Americana riffage of artists like John Mayer and Ray LaMontagne, while its bilingual nature (English and Afrikaans) gives it a distinct local twist. From uptempo folk guitar pickings à la Paul Simon (“Al Het Ek Niks”) to a Southern blues-driven tip of the hat to moving on (“New Day”), it’s the quieter, gentler moments on this EP (“Lief”) that set Swann apart from his contemporaries.