With the abundance of music schools in Guernsey giving young musicians a chance to explore things away from the traditional classical basis of the school’s music service, it’s no surprise that more and more youngsters are once again forming bands or creating their own music.

One such performer is Dan Ashplant who recently released a debut EP of his own songs, King Of The Country Road.

Despite listing Status Quo, and joint band leader Rock Parfitt in particular, as a key influence along with a host of other classic MOR rock, the three tracks here come in far more easy listening, singer-songwriter style.

Opener, (I’d Do) Anything For You, and closer, I Lied, particularly fit this style with a simple, somewhat naive and winsome outlook, that comes with a great sense of honesty and freshness.

The title track meanwhile adds a lilting country swing to the same general theme, backed up with some slide steel guitar for a more authentic feel.

While the songwriting on display is a solid start for a young performer the production of the EP helps lift it further.

Recorded at Apocalypse Studios and produced by Tyler Edmonds of Last Of The Light Brigade it manages to be clean and crisp, but with a hint of a live sound, bolstered by a range of extra instrumentation and vocals giving the whole thing a very accomplished sound for a debut.

All this comes together to make King Of The Country Road a fine starting point for Ashplant with hints at even better things to come.