Evan Charles’ Echoes at Dawn Shines as a Landmark Americana Record

Article by Johnny Kosmos

Austin-based singer-songwriter Evan Charles has delivered a sophomore album that confirms his place as one of Americana’s most compelling voices. Echoes at Dawn, released on September 12, 2025, builds on the promise of his debut solo record Between Two Worlds, which climbed to #5 on the Alt Country Specialty Chart and #109 on the AMA Americana Albums. That first outing was praised as a “sharply written solo debut” by The Austin Chronicle, which noted its “visceral restlessness and vivid imagery” and likened Charles’ crooning to a space between “Tom Petty’s laidback rock and Jay Farrar’s drawn-out loneliness.” The JW Vibe called him a “multi-talented singer-songwriter” who seemed to be “making it look easy,” remarking that while he might have been Between Two Worlds at the time, the “magical power of the album” promised wider opportunities. With Echoes at Dawn, Charles pushes further, creating a sound that feels distinctly his own while still grounded in the traditions of Austin’s Americana scene.

The record opens with the title track, a reflective piece that sets the tone for an album unafraid to move between moods and textures. “Lost in the Dark” juxtaposes Petty-inspired guitar grit with melodic synths, shimmering with a sense of restless searching. “Trouble Girl” carries that same balance of familiarity and experimentation, a track that feels equally at home in a Texas honky-tonk or drifting through the air of a late-night outdoor festival. “Price of Love” stands as one of the album’s emotional high points, weaving classic country instrumentation with subtle pop production flourishes in a way that expands without overwhelming. Songs like “Wrong Reasons,” “Meant to Be,” “Ripples on the Deeper Blue,” and “Mariabronn” reveal Charles’ ability to write melodies that are both immediate and enduring, while closer “The Cold Winds of Ages Gone” brings the record to a haunting conclusion that lingers long after it ends.

Co-produced by Jonas Wilson, formerly of Heartless Bastards, and Ricky Ray Jackson, currently of Phosphorescent and recently of Steve Earle and the Dukes, Echoes at Dawn benefits from production that stretches genre lines without breaking them. The arrangements are lush but purposeful, every note and texture chosen with care — from the shimmer of synths to the twang of pedal steel. The record’s balance of restraint and adventurousness mirrors Charles’ songwriting: it’s a body of work that dares to expand the definition of Americana while keeping its emotional core intact.

Charles’ voice remains the album’s steady anchor, shaded by echoes of influences yet never imitative. His delivery, sometimes tender and sometimes weathered, imbues even the simplest lines with gravity. The qualities that critics praised in his debut , the vivid imagery, the restlessness, the balance between grounded tradition and experimentation are amplified here.

Echoes at Dawn is not simply a continuation but a bold declaration of artistry, one that confirms Charles’ place as a songwriter who can honor the past while fearlessly exploring the future.

Listen to the full record here