Last Friday, Melbourne/Naarm-based singer-songwriter Annie-Rose Maloney released her highly anticipated debut album, Circle Walking. Aptly described as “alt-folk/country-ish,” Maloney has captured the alt-folk world’s attention with previous singles “Lost In Coburg,” “Hold Me” and “I Run From Pain”. With a promising but ultimately short catalogue, the former cricketer, current high school teacher, and now singer/songwriter adds the seven-track album to her list of achievements, and a few more tracks for listeners and their Spotify playlists across the country.
From the opening track A Bit of Love, Maloney’s country-tinged vocals glide up to each note like a guitar slide or dawdling violin bow on strings. Eking out that old-school country vibe, Maloney is accompanied by subtle piano and harmonic backing vocals courtesy of Angie McMahon, Ruby Gill and Olivia Hally (Oh Pep), making for a soft but cosy take-off.
“Time for Gladys” follows with the same intimacy, the peeled-back production making you feel like you’ve been invited onto the verandah for an afternoon singalong. It was, after all, recorded in a living room with producer Tim Harvey. It’s intimate, but never amateurish. The opening exchanges of the album feel tailor-made to accompany sun-faded Super 8 footage and really reach into that slow-burning folky nostalgia.
The plucking banjos on “I Run From Pain” accompany some of the album’s most haunting lyrics in lines like “I’ll stand alone when I am old. Then where will I run? What will I do? What’s the point of living without you?”. The album’s production stays consistent, but rather than feeling repetitive, it serves as a binding thread, holding the songs together with a quiet, intentional glue. It also serves as an effective canvas to ensure Maloney’s lyrics don’t get lost in the wash and earn their time in the sun.
Tracks like “Clothes” carry a vulnerability bordering on diary entry personal. The final stanza, “It’s like I’m here, but I’m gone. A singing heart without a song” precedes a harmonica’s gentle wailing that releases the song’s restraint. So far, the album proves that raw storytelling often carries more weight than technical complexity.
There’s an authenticity to Circle Walking that many folk albums strive for but don’t quite achieve—it never feels like an aesthetic choice, but each song a deeply felt and lived in expression.
“Come With Me” offers slow-picked goodness and lyrics carrying the album’s title, while “Hold Me” shakes things up. With upbeat piano and a rhythm that’s immediately hooking and an infinitely catchy melody, it’s a standout moment. The only issue is that it’s buried too far in the track order. Although regular listeners would have caught this one before, it feels too good to come this late in the piece.
The album then closes with “Go Take a Look,” a fun, upbeat country tune in the vein of Barry Louis Polisar’s All I Want Is You from Juno. Lyrics like “this life if a gift, go take a look” offer a bright farewell that contrasts beautifully with the album’s more emotionally introspective moments.
Following in the footsteps of Maloney’s previous work, Circle Walking feels closer to diary entries in musical form, crafting music that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. With stripped-back production, unvarnished honesty, and a voice that carries both warmth and ache, Maloney’s not quite country not quite folk debut, is an intimate meditation on connection, loss, and the small moments that make up a life. There’s a lived-in quality to her songs, something that feels more inherited than borrowed. It’s like a well-worn coat that’s cosy and familiar to slip into, but carries the scent of old memories that often stings.
If there’s one critique, it’s that a few final gems risk being buried for more casual listeners. But for those who stay the course, Circle Walking offers rich rewards—an album that’s as comforting as it is heart-breaking, as nostalgic as it is immediate. Annie-Rose Maloney’s debut is a quiet act of preservation, capturing small, aching truths and holding them up to the light.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Circle Walking is out now – grab it HERE
Catch Annie-Rose Maloney’s Circle Walking album launch shows below.
Tour Dates
16th March – Northcote Social Club, Northcote, Victoria (Tickets HERE)
Header image credit: Jess Elwood
