Since the release of his 2011 debut Every Kingdom, Ben Howard has undeniably committed to one thing: persistent self-reinvention. His first recording is of a piece with the ostensible “folk revival” in the late 2000s and early 2010s, with the songs centering on Howard’s gentle, at times creaky tenor vocals and impressive fingerstyle guitar technique. He could have easily kept recycling that approach and maintained a successful profile. Every Kingdom is still a pleasing listen, and Howard’s guitar chops and unusual instrument tunings put him a notch above many of his folk-pop contemporaries. However, with 2014’s I Forgot Where We Were and 2018’s