As Long As

Released when Billie Marten was only sixteen, the As Long As EP established her as a preeminent voice in the modern British folk revival. Recorded with a focus on extreme intimacy, the production by Rich Cooper and Jason Odell emphasizes the 'dry' sound of the room, allowing the listener to hear the physical reality of the performance. This EP serves as the bridge between her early viral covers and her debut full-length, Writing of Blues and Yellows, showcasing a sophisticated lyrical maturity that belies her age. The tracks are characterized by Marten's signature breathy delivery and intricate fingerstyle guitar work, occasionally augmented by subtle piano and string arrangements. Critically, it was praised for its poise and the way it captured a specific pastoral English melancholy without falling into cliché. It remains a definitive example of the 'whisper-folk' aesthetic of the mid-2010s.