Ryan Edward Kotler

There’s a particular kind of beauty in reinterpretation, the way familiar melodies can feel reborn in the hands of someone who really understands their weight. Waiting for Dawn, the new EP from Ryan Edward Kotler, is a collection of five classic covers, each filtered through a lo-fi folk lens that feels both reverent and quietly original. I’ve always appreciated a good cover, the kind that doesn’t just nod at the original but reframes it through the artist’s own lens. That’s exactly what Kotler offers here.

The opening track, “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” sounds like it was recorded on a phone in a quiet corner of some old house. That lo-fi quality doesn’t feel like a limitation; it’s part of the aesthetic. There’s a homespun reverence to it, like Kotler isn’t just singing the song, he’s holding it close. That same spirit carries through the EP.

“Waiting Around to Die” digs into a darker kind of folk, with minimal but effective guitar, loose percussion, and a vocal delivery that doesn’t reach for drama but lets the weight of the song settle naturally. I found the vocal performance striking, quietly confident, never showy.

“Give My Love to Rose” leans even harder into the lo-fi textures. The tape hiss, the soft strum, the ghost of a room in the background, it all adds up to something that feels preserved rather than produced. “Barbriallen” might be the most intimate moment here. The mic feels like it’s inches from his breath, catching every nuance. There’s a kind of hush to it, a sense that you’re eavesdropping on something private.

Closing with “House of the Rising Sun” is a bold move, given how many times it’s been covered. But Kotler doesn’t overplay it. He pulls it back, gives it space, and lets the song’s melancholy unfold without embellishment. It works.

Waiting for Dawn is quiet, considered, and full of affection for the songs it takes on. It reminded me why these songs have lasted and why reinterpretation, when done with care, still matters.

SPOTIFY