Ervin Munir - Pure and Simple (2025)

One of the best things about being a reviewer is that you get to listen to a whole variety of music and you end up discovering music that you may otherwise have missed entirely. I also like working for this magazine, as they encourage me to chat and be friendly! We never say ‘here is the press release’ and put down the stars!

Ervin Munir has been working really hard as a folk artist, both live and with his releases, to build his audience, and with listening figures of 33k+ now for his songs on Spotify, I’d say that audience is definitely growing.

Ervin spoke to us at the time his first album was released; he commented,

“I play with a lot of folk groups in Norfolk, and the important aspect is the narrative story behind the music. I try to tell a story with each song. Also, as another artist came up to tell me recently, it is the instrument that can make a song folk. He was saying that he liked how I did a song live, and it worked as a folk-style number. But as an artist, when you submit your music to be listened to, they always ask for the genre, and I struggle with that.”

The exciting thing about British folk music in 2025 is how it is getting picked up by artists in rock and Americana (country), morphing folk elements into the new sounds. Bands and solo artists alike are blending folk’s raw emotional depth with the grit of rock and the warmth of Americana, creating a fusion that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking. Streaming platforms and social media have also played a role in this resurgence, making folk-infused tracks more accessible to global audiences. As a result, British folk is no longer confined to niche festivals but is finding its way into mainstream playlists and international collaborations.