The musical collective Debutants make bluegrass music for people that don’t consider themselves fans of bluegrass. Make no mistake, Debutants make true blue deep-from-the-country bluegrass that you could hear echoing through the Mountain Silverbells and Sugar Maples of the Smoky Mountains. But this seven-piece string band from The Fort add their own mix of earworm melodies and pop hooks, bringing their songs down from the mountain and into the cityscapes. 

The band’s newest album, the swinging and toe-tapping River on the Moon, is a refreshing shot of dizzying strings and catchy melody-driven songs. Pop hooks and melancholy musical turns make the record a massive swing for the fences, and the result is easily one of the best local releases you’ll hear in 2024.

Debutants follow in the tradition of Béla Fleck, Andrew Bird, Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers, and Billy Strings, artists that take bluegrass and elevate it, open it, and make it more accessible. You may not like bluegrass, but you’re gonna love Debutants.

The band opens the record on the stunning instrumental “Posey Hill.” A bit of a warmup if you will, “Posey Hill” sees the band locking in as a tight, twangy string machine, full of lovely tonal shifts that add a touch of wistfulness to the proceedings. This is how you open a record. 

“Wish I Had an Airplane” shows the band’s serious songwriting chops. Jon Swain has the kind of voice that just pulls you in. Serious musical and vocal skills abound. For you folks that like their bluegrass with a hefty dose of the hills, Sean Hoffman brings the barn dance vibes in the swinging “Dance All Night.” 

There’s an effortlessness to these songs. Make no mistake, there’s a lot of effort, but the band offer up the songs so easily you mistake it for simplicity. That’s how the best musicians and singers do it. Songs like “Two Nickels and a Dime,” “Every (Damn) Day,” and the beautiful title track and closer “River on the Moon” showcase the band’s musical chops and gift for tight, inviting melodies. 

Debutants’ debut full-length builds upon previous EPs to make a local LP for the ages. Bookmark River on the Moon, because this will be your go-to summer jam.