Thereโs something disarmingly real about Derby Hill, the self-titled EP from Detroit singer-songwriter Derby Hill, released on January 27, 2026. Rooted in blue-collar neighborhoods, back porch swings, and late-night reckonings, this EP feels like a handful of lived stories passed across a kitchen table. Recorded in Chicago basements and hall closets, the songs carry the grit of their surroundings and the glow of sincerity.
Influenced by storytellers like Steve Earle, Leonard Cohen, and John Prine, Derby Hill writes about families just trying to get through the day, about love lost and half-found, and about choosing to step forward even when your legs are shaking. You will also feel the cinematic weight to the arrangements, as everything feels intentional, unvarnished, and deeply meant.
The EP opens strong with โRestless and Forgiven,โ where relaxed strumming guitars create a warm, immersive bed for Hillโs exuberant vocal delivery. You can feelt the release in the way he sings, like someone finally exhaling after holding it in too long.
Later, โCome Back Homeโ shifts the mood inward. Jittery, shaking percussion meets gentle, flowing piano as Hill sings in a tender, almost conversational voice. A soft female vocal slips in beneath his, adding a ghostly silhouette that makes the song feel intimate and slightly haunted, like memory humming under the surface.
โIn a Matter of Momentsโ might be the emotional core of the EP. Built on relaxed acoustic strums, Hill sings gently, almost reverently, while an ethereal female harmony echoes beneath him. The lyrics linger on how quickly life turnsโhow endings and beginnings blur before you even notice. Itโs simple, grounding, and subtly devastating.
Derby Hillย leans in close, as it reminds you that resilience often leaves you feeling, somehow, a little less alone.
Review by: Naomi Joan