In contrast to the artist’s acoustic debut, Gnomes’ EP ‘Microclimbs’, released on June 20, 2025, unveils a more textured and electrified sound. Produced by Sam Hanlan and recorded alongside drummer Henry O’Loughlin at Famous Gold Watch Studios, the 4-track EP marks the artist’s exploration into themes of remoteness, ambiguity, and understated resilience, guided by a gentle sense of humor and rich production choices. With electric guitar, Wurli synth, drum samples, and enveloping vocal layering, the Berlin-based artist captures emotions and gently molds them into a cohesive, delicate experience. ‘Microclimbs’ was inspired by the curious natural phenomenon in which an area’s “microclimate” differs from its larger climate, as well as the various sonic temperatures the EP’s four songs embody and express.
“Lonely Peaches”, the EP’s opener, conveys a languid sense of isolation. The slow pacing and warm instrumental elements evoke a subdued sense of conflict against the more emotionally removed lyrics. “Chilblains” follows, occupying a state of pleasant discomfort. There’s an unhurried rhythm to the song’s muted drums and shuffling guitar that evokes a sense of leisure that the sparse, confessional lyrics counter. Ambient synth textures and a gradual dynamic swell near the song’s end create a particularly ruminative mood. “Acting Up” is playful and biting in a rhythmically energetic way, channeling a mounting frustration against the weight of pressure and expectation. The melancholy, meandering melody of closer “Gameboy, 1998” evokes a warm, cozy sense of nostalgia as more pulsating sounds and crisp guitar textures carry the song.
Taken together, ‘Microclimbs’ EP achieves a remarkable sense of cohesion. Gnomes’ first release since their debut offers the listener a finely balanced soundtrack of serious and light, intimate and outward-facing moments. A profoundly personal release, the EP is also a work that resonates with more universal emotions: the ways in which we get bogged down, how lonely life can feel sometimes, the need to release. ‘Microclimbs’ EP doesn’t try to yell to be heard. Instead, it listens. On June 21st, the artist took the album to venues across Berlin to celebrate Féte de la Musique.
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