JP Oldfield Gives Saltwater Gospel A World Beyond The Music

A lot of independent releases stop at the music. JP Oldfield went further with Saltwater Gospel, out now via Now Listen. The Wiltshire songwriter has created a complete setting around the EP, from its six songs to the artwork and the mythology behind them. The cover was made using traditional linocut techniques, while the accompanying story follows a Ferryman whose refusal to surrender his dead wife sets off a chain of events involving revenge, religion, storms and a catastrophic flood.

That visual approach makes sense once the songs are heard. Saltwater Gospel has a distinctly old-world quality, with maritime folklore running through the writing and recurring images of churches, graves, scripture and the sea.

The project also avoids treating its influences as decoration. The Ferryman is not just there to give the songs a theme. His story develops across the tracklist, with his choices becoming increasingly difficult to separate from the damage they cause.

What makes the project unusual is the amount of work behind it. Oldfield has not handed the different pieces of the concept to separate collaborators. The music, writing and artwork all come from the same source.

That gives Saltwater Gospel a strong visual identity before you even press play. Once the music starts, the pieces begin to connect.

For an artist working independently, it is a fairly bold way to approach an EP. Oldfield has used the format to create something that can be listened to, read about and looked at as parts of the same project. Give it a listen and see for yourelf below: