Dan Webb has been at it again—fiddling with instruments, scribbling lyrics, and tinkering with his trusty recording setup. Spring Forward is his first EP of 2025, and based on his track record, it won’t be the last. As always, Webb sets out a clear sonic direction acting as his North Star, while his lyrics pull from a range of personal reflections and unexpected places. This time, the sound leans toward punk-tinged folk/alt-country (or vice versa really), continuing the trajectory of 2024’s Fall Back EP.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll burn through your free Bandcamp plays in no time. Opener Be Around is a standout—musically rich and lyrically immersive, the high energy and raw-edged guitar playing stretching my attention span way past its usual two-minute mark. New Campaign follows with deceptively simple structure, anchored by a clever recurring rhyme scheme.

Then there’s Typical, perhaps the EP’s most compelling moment. Webb takes on the perspective of Ippei Mizuhara, the disgraced interpreter Shohei Ohtani, who embezzled $17 million from the star athlete to cover gambling debts. Webb paints Mizuhara not as a villain, but as a remorseful and imperfect human being buckling under the weight of bad decisions—a mini character study wrapped in four and a half minutes of rock.

Even when the characters fall short, Webb’s songs land perfectly.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp