Tim Burgess - Ascent Of The Ascended E.P (EP) - Neon Orange Vinyl

Tim Burgess has been on a quiet hot streak, and The Ascent of the Ascended EP keeps that glow alive. Released in November 2020 on Bella Union, it arrived as a thoughtful afterword to his 2020 album I Love The New Sky, the sort of companion piece that feels less like leftovers and more like a neat, self‑contained statement. It is concise, melodic and just a bit starry eyed, which is often when Burgess is at his best.

The title track opens with a bright jangle that settles into a graceful sway, the kind of tune that sounds built for Sunday light through the blinds. Burgess has long mastered the art of sounding hopeful without tipping into syrup, and here he lands it again. The chorus lifts but never blares, the rhythm section keeps things buoyant, and his voice carries that unmistakable mix of curiosity and warmth. There is a lot of air in the arrangement, so the guitars sparkle rather than crowd, and the song feels like it breathes even as it keeps its shape. Calling it an anthem would be too heavy. It is more like a knowing grin set to music.

Yours. To Be is the counterpoint. Softer, more intimate, and a touch wistful, it shows Burgess leaning into a gentler register. Small details glide past, the percussion patient, the keyboards chiming with a polite glow. It suits the way he writes now. There is a late afternoon tone to it that ties back to his recent work, which he wrote from the ground up with surprising clarity for someone with a long career already on the ledger. If The Ascent of the Ascended is the outward wave, Yours. To Be is the little hand on your shoulder.

Flip it and you get four live cuts captured in New York the year before, taped for a Paste session in 2019. These takes strip away any studio sheen and let the songs stand on legs of rhythm and melody. Burgess has always been a social musician, the sort who plays off others rather than grandstanding, and you can hear that in the way the band leaves pockets of space and then leans in together. The harmonies tuck in close, the bass gets a bit of stroll, and the tunes from I Love The New Sky carry over with a warmer hum. It is not a rough bootleg. It is clean, unfussy and properly alive, the kind of live side that reminds you why some songs blossom when played in a room with a few bodies and a bit of New York noise drifting up from the street.

Part of the delight of this EP is timing and tone. In 2020 Burgess became something of a folk hero of the timeline with his listening parties, and that sense of community hangs over this release too. The music is welcoming without being bland, light on its feet but built to last. You can hear the pop classicism he has always loved, and the quiet experimentation that has crept in through the years. It feels hand‑made, in the nicest way.

On the shelf, The Ascent of the Ascended vinyl sits well next to I Love The New Sky, like two chapters from the same book. If you collect Tim Burgess vinyl, this one earns its space, not least because the sequencing makes sense on a 12 inch side split. The studio pair on the A side has a sunny flow, then the live material plays like a mini set. For people who buy Tim Burgess records online, it is one of those releases that can nudge a cart over the free shipping line and then become a frequent spin. If you are building a row of Tim Burgess albums on vinyl, this EP fills a gap that a full LP cannot, and it does it with charm.

There is no reinvention at play here, just a confident songwriter delivering short, satisfying pieces with care. That might sound modest, but it is the sort of modesty that rewards repeat listening. If you are crate digging in a Melbourne record store or browsing vinyl records Australia wide, keep an eye out for it. The songs feel good in the room, the performances have a little New York heat around the edges, and the whole thing adds up to a gentle triumph.