Preorder begins November 21st, 2025
The 5-song collection, inspired by Hurricane Helene and the mountains of Western North Carolina, is available exclusively on the band's website. Preorder it here!
BANNER ELK, NC (November 17, 2025) – Appalachian indie-rock quintet Spell of Leaves releases their debut EP, Where You Come From on December 5th, 2025. The five-song collection is a poignant and powerful exploration of home, memory, and the inevitable passage of time, inspired by the band's deep, complex roots in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The EP grapples with the feeling of returning to a place that has been irrevocably changed, both by natural forces and the contradictions of internal and external growth.
Drawing inspiration from both the deep layers of history and folklore of the area and its stunning but rugged mountain landscapes - two themes neatly encapsulated by the historic Balm Highway that traces just outside the band’s studio and practice space - the EP juxtaposes the past with the present, progress with disaster, and nostalgia for the past with the need to just carry on and survive. "It’s about being from a place, taking it for granted, needing to get out... and coming back to find that home has changed," explains vocalist Trevor Brown. "It's about living here, leaving here, and longing for here… even if that here isn't here any longer. In essence, it begs us as both artists and listeners to relish in place… and in each precious sensory moment you exist within it."
Where You Come From arrives after two successful singles that introduced the band's layered, literary approach. The debut, "Old Fort Loops," was released on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, the storm that devastated the region and served as a catalyst for the band's formation. The track connects the 2024 storm to the deep, often tragic, history of the local landscape. The follow-up single, "Defrost," released on Halloween, offers a more introspective, ghostly meditation on mystery, truth, and the existential horror of NOT being haunted by something.
Spell of Leaves is Trevor Brown (lead guitar, vocals), Matthew Wimberley (rhythm guitar), Scott Huffard (bass), Jamie Canterbury (drums), and Daniel Jones (keyboard, organ). The band’s roots run deep in their Banner Elk community, with members connected through local landmarks, shared schools, and family ties. It was in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene that these long-standing friendships coalesced into a band, with a grant from the ReString Appalachia project providing the impetus to formally create music together.
The EP was produced by Oliver Barrow (of Morrow Morrow) and features evocative album art by Camilo Monroy. Where You Come From is a testament to community resilience, an effort to "harmonize with the myriad other voices rising through the trees," as the band states in their thanks.
Where You Come From is available now for purchase exclusively on the band's website, spellofleaves.com, in vinyl, CD, and digital download formats. The EP will not be available on streaming platforms until 2026.
Spell of Leaves - Where You Come From EP
- Release Date: December 7, 2025
- Produced by: Oliver Barrow
- Album Art by: Camilo Monroy
- Available: Exclusively at spellofleaves.com
- Formats: Vinyl, CD, Digital Download
Tracklist:
- Defrost
- Old Fort Loops
- Childhood Home
- Bone Song
- Where You Come From (Is Gone)
