The Tarantula Waltz presents a soaring optimisim with new EP Lynx

It's hard to paint a cohesive picture in only four tracks, but Lynx makes it all look effortless. Recorded with Kristian Matsson (better known as The Tallest Man On Earth), the release's intricately layered melodies ebb and flow with a subtle depth it's all too easy to lose yourself in. You can practically sense the setting through the songs - hear the river in the rippling guitars, and feel the chilled breeze in Markus Svensson's shiver-inducing vocals.

From the magnetic introduction of title track, Lynx never once falls short of that captivating mark. Subdued, maybe. Haunting, certainly. But wanting, never. Delicate emotion and burgeoning passion meet with a fervent optimism, and the end result is entirely invigorating - Svensson himself describing the tracks as "the most positive and life-affirming stuff I’ve written."

Dealing with themes of transience and loss, Lynx is a comforting hand through raw emotion. Writing one song for his son, and another for his father, Svensson is intimate with his words - and the music is no less intrinsic. "Northern Nights" glides with a weightless ease, choruses taking flight along a crescendo of expertly layered instruments. "The Leaning Apple Tree" swoons and shakes with an emotive fragility, powered from a soaring instrumental break that runs through the track's core.

"If I'll ever be gone you'll find me in this song," Svensson sings in "Lynx". The very essence of his thoughts and his time, you won't find a release more characteristic this year. The Tarantula Waltz' wondering words of wisdom both move and inspire.

• Stream Lynx in full below.