Martin Lloyd Howard – Highland Mist (2026)
Who says you need lyrics to make a song emotionally engaging and remarkably evocative? In fact, sometimes just silence can have as powerful an effect. Today, we’re delving into a guitar instrumental by musician Martin Lloyd Howard to feel and experience the raw passion of simple soundscapes. The song we’re turning up on our Spotify is ‘Highland Mist’.
Self-recorded and produced by Howard in his home studio, ‘Highland Mist’ is a few minutes of delicate acoustic guitar. Classically trained, there is a structural strength to the track – a sort of music within an invisible cage. However, while classical influences breathe in ‘Highland Mist’, a free-flowing wave of folk lingers.
Soft, gentle, soothing, and easy on the ears, ‘Highland Mist’ is one of those songs that you can have in the background to calm a crazy day. It’s the track that gives you a chance to take a deep breath and sigh with relief. The song is made for meditative playlists and to help you find a good headspace without too much effort. Interestingly, while the smooth, mellifluous nature of ‘Highland Mist’ is warm, cosy and chilled, there is an underlying vibrance.
Not necessarily kaleidoscopic, rather wistful and dream-like, you imagine yourself soaring across a lush landscape free as a bird. This is perfectly apt, as ‘Highland Mist’ is, as noted by Howard, a song to“evoke a misty highland scene with a moody, slightly mysterious Celtic vibe… that takes the listener to the mist… of the Scottish Highlands.”
So, what is my overall opinion of Martin Lloyd Howard and ‘Highland Mist’? The track isn’t a hit between the eyes or a bold sweep of moving music. Instead, it moves you in other ways, with the languid, tranquil acoustic guitar lifting your heart. Made for people who need a little sigh of relief on dreary days, Martin Lloyd Howard is highly recommended.
In addition to the single, Martin Lloyd Howard released an official acoustic video for ‘Highland Mist’. You can view the video below and/or on his YouTube channel.
Find out more about Martin Lloyd Howard on his SoundCloud, YouTube and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more folk music on The Other Side Reviews Folk playlist:
