River Dreams take a step closer to the release of the debut album Small Paintings, due out in 2021. The nom de plume of Sydney songwriter/band leader Carl Manwarring, River Dreams is nuanced songwriting par-excellence. There are elements of dark folk rock, alt-country, and a rolling and evocative, baroque indie rock sound in his songs.

‘Landscape’ possesses a rich bass warmth and a ragged jangle resonates from Manwarring’s guitar. There’s a loose communality to the song, particularly in the chorus and its backing vocals. The song contains that unique Australian musical DNA shared by the likes of The Triffids and Died Pretty, while the River Dreams sound in general also shares sensibilities with modern artists such as Kevin Morby, Trevor Sensor and Kyle Craft.