The Hen Hoose brood is broadening. This collective of female and non-binary musicians, founded in 2020 by Tamara Schlesinger (who records as Malka), has now secured funding to run as a not-for-profit organisation for another two years and has set up the Beldina Odenyo Bursary to honour their late co-founding member also known as Heir Of The Cursed.

The first of three EPs to be released this year showcases the work of some newer Hoose mates, each of the seven tracks a collaboration between two artists. Riches abound, from the sleek, burnished electro pop of ‘The Lucky Ones’ by composer Lucy Parnell and French-Cameroonian singer-songwriter Djana Gabrielle to the stately, soulful synth torch song ‘Waves’, featuring the intertwined vocals of Belfast-based singer Tanya Mellotte and multi-disciplinary artist Gillian Katungi, aka Paix.

There is no mistaking the delicate voice of Kathryn Williams beside Sacred Paws’ Ray Aggs on the refined ‘Night Is Calling’ while the hypnotic alt.pop of ‘Brigid’ by Cariss Crosbie and Elisabeth Elektra is both sultry and plaintive. Edinburgh-based producer Shears and rapper Xo keep it moody on their pop R&B track ‘Let It All Go’, and ‘My Only Ghost’ is another mesmeric contribution, fusing electronics, accordion and bewitching vocals from Inge Thomson and London-based Bengali composer BISHI. ‘Look Up’ is a luminous highlight among these simpatico partnerships. There is an otherworldly quality to its plucked strings, gentle piano and the exquisite vocals of Jill Lorean and The Anchoress (Catherine Anne Davies) hailing ‘two souls in sympathy, galaxies apart’. 

Hen Hoose: EP1 is released by Hen Hoose Collective on Wednesday 5 June; main picture: Demelza Kingston.