IMC Listening guide

Best weather to enjoy this album

Sunny day

Best time to listen

Dusk reflections

Best place to listen

On the road, Out in nature

Does this albumhaunt the silence?

Impossible to forget

Goosebumps scale

Maximum goosebumps

Our thoughts

What first caught our attention with Mark Stephen Pelfrey was how naturally he fits into the IMC universe. As you know, here we take the time to enjoy music, far from social media and from environments filled with algorithms. And this guy who grew up in South Carolina takes the time to make music that takes its time. And that’s something we love.

He has just released his album Lake Isabelle, and we can tell you it’s a gem like we haven’t heard since the 2000s, and what a joy. From the start, with the first track Long Lake, we understand in just four minutes where Mark Stephen Pelfrey wants to take us: on a memorable musical walk where the one-minute intro offers beautiful rhythm variations before revealing this warm voice, perfectly controlled and balanced, creating from the first seconds a comfortable feeling that stays through the whole album.

Each song lets us dig a little deeper into the artist’s influences, and from Lake Isabelle, the second track and title of the album, we move into more cinematic tones, even with discreet brass in the background, later brought forward and joined by a harmonica and an incredible electric guitar.

In just over 40 minutes, you will feel like you have travelled through wide open lands, through this musical journey filled with an impressive number of instruments, magical and inspiring landscapes, and above all, the undeniable writing talent of the artist.

Slow down the pace with Hollow, shared with artist Calinoda, then speed it up again with Known as Sadness, which, despite what its title suggests, is a real indie folk banger with choirs and a lively banjo. Let yourself be carried by the soulful vocal performance of Skipping Stones, while Long Drive takes you into a moving story that might bring a few tears.

Like autumn leaves marking a time of change with their bright colors, Colorado Springs is a small interlude without vocals, only with a beautiful acoustic guitar. A bit like a delicate pause before the adventure starts again with Wild Stranger, a folk rock gem that shows a perfect meeting between acoustic and electric guitars.

The energy becomes soft again and the light more gentle to end the album with Breaking All The Time, which, through its lyrics, perfectly reflects the main idea of this album: Take your time. And for those who want a bit more, an acoustic bonus track closes the listening experience nicely and shows that even with a simple studio take and no mixing, Mark Stephen Pelfrey’s vocal performance is incredibly impressive.
To sum up, we can say that it’s rare to hear such craftsmanship on a folk-oriented album, with a touch of folk rock and a little bit of soul music. Whether it’s the production, which highlights each instrument without mixing them all together, or the writing, touching and emotional, this album has everything you expect from an autumn companion: warmth, a link with nature, emotion, and above all, authenticity. The mix of styles and energies works well, sometimes with more dynamic tracks, sometimes calmer ones, without losing its unity. Mark Stephen Pelfrey is a real favorite for us and a musician like you don’t find often anymore.

By the way, while we were doing some research for this article, we noticed that our friend Susanne (@susbidi) had already featured this genius four years ago, and that he is followed by... Luna Keller, who happens to be our favorite podcast host and reviewer. Yes, we often tell you, the indie music world is both very large and very small at the same time, and everyone knows each other. But that’s fine with us. Because the day mainstream radios start looking into our wonderful artists, their magic will be gone.

On our side, we’ll be following this aritst's career closely because, in our humble opinion, he’s not done surprising us!

Mark Stephen Pelfrey's take on the album

I wrote, recorded, produced, mastered and designed this album independently. I take a lot of pride being indie, and I'd love to have my work featured on your site. The following is the story behind the album: it's themes are echoed throughout the 11 tracks. The tone, the mood, the vibes, the ebbs and flows of it all are very intentional

Reach out to Mark Stephen Pelfrey

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If you enjoyed this album, consider supporting the artist directly on platforms like Bandcamp, Patreon, and Twitch whenever possible. Streaming services are great for discovery, but they rarely provide fair compensation for musicians. Every purchase makes a difference! And if you enjoyed this article, feel free to support Indie Music Center with a donation.