Some songs come quickly. “Flow River Flow” took Seth Tabatznik about as long to write and record as his entire previous album.

The London born, South Africa based folk artist’s new single is the first taste of his forthcoming third album. What began as a song about the mountain he lives on in the Western Cape turned into something bigger—a song about himself, and how the two became impossible to separate.

“When I first wrote the song, it was intended to be about the mountain I live on and how it called me to the land,” he explains. “As it evolved, I realised the mountain was me, and so included myself into the story. Now it’s about both of us.”

The song came out of a difficult stretch. Tabatznik had spent years feeling certain about his path until his health forced a rethink. “Up until a few years ago, I thought I knew myself, my mission on this earth. I could recite it with ease. Then my body told me otherwise.” What followed was slower and more humble—less about achieving, more about experiencing.

That stillness runs through the track. Softly strummed acoustic guitars and tender vocals open things up before a lush chorus takes over, swelling pads meeting laid-back percussion. It’s warm and immersive without pushing too hard, and fans of Novo Amor, Passenger and Gregory Alan Isakov will find plenty here.

Tabatznik’s moved fast since he started releasing music in 2024—over 400,000 streams, sold-out shows at Boschendal Estate in Cape Town and Green Note in Camden, praise from NOTION, CLASH and EARMILK. His second album Awakening Embers, shaped in part by mentor Nick Mulvey, arrived earlier this year, and last month Deep Forest released a remix of his track “Shining For Love.”

Seth Tabatznik’s “Flow River Flow” is out now via MOTH Music.

Listen below.

Image credit: Timmy Henny