Charterhouse

Brevity can consolidate and confirm an idea. It can also help cement one’s intentions. Face First in the Dirt, a four-song EP, serves as an appetizer to the full-course meal that is the folk/bluegrass Philadelphia band Hoots and Hellmouth. Songs shuffle by with a whimsical morning kick of caffeine ( “Picked by the Root” ), switch gears and slide past with nuanced charm ( “Antebellum Tree” ), slowdown and isolate the frozen moment with clarity ( “Threadbare” ) and fade into the distance – a momentary glimpse of a sunset as sounds swirl, envelop and captivate ( “Returning in Pieces” ). More than anything, the quartet of songs represents a band capturing its mysterious essence in a taut and true small gem of an EP.