Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-10-11
Asheville, North Carolina trio Mt. Kili bring together intimate songwriting, patient arrangements and a collaborative sound rooted in indie folk, Americana and acoustic music on their second album, The Noticer.
Released March 7, 2026, the ten-song album marks a significant expansion for a project that began with singer-songwriter Rick Sichta writing and recording alone at home. Mt. Kili now pairs Sichta’s voice and classical guitar with Matt Shepard on drums and percussion and Laney Barnett on violin and vocals.
Sichta’s first Mt. Kili album, Ten Songs for My Girls, for Now and Later, was made for his twin daughters, with voice and guitar forming the record’s emotional center. The Noticer maintains that intimacy while allowing the songs to open outward through the interplay of the full trio.
Recorded at Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, The Noticer was engineered by GRAMMY Award winner Julian Dreyer and mastered by two-time GRAMMY Award winner David Glasser at Airshow Mastering. The arrangements center acoustic guitar, close vocals, violin and percussion, favoring the natural character of the performances rather than excessive studio polish.
The album moves patiently through its ten songs. “Don’t Start a War” begins with restrained acoustic detail before opening into dual vocals, while the title track builds gradually through guitar, violin and drums. “The Rain Song,” “The Road Isn’t as Long as It Seems” and “Her Song” show the group moving between elemental atmosphere and quiet reassurance. Elsewhere, “The Weather Report” develops through strings, keys and percussion, with “Scars,” “Strawberry Fields” and closer “All in Good Time” helping complete the record’s arc.
Sichta’s writing remains the foundation. His songs are direct and reflective, leaving room around the lyrics, while Shepard adds motion without overwhelming them and Barnett brings melodic counterpoint and a second vocal voice. Together, the trio allows the arrangements to rise, recede and breathe around the songs.
Even the band’s name reflects a wider perspective. Mt. Kili draws from Sichta’s backpacking journeys through China and Tibet, a trek toward Mt. Everest and his desire to eventually make a similar journey around Mt. Kilimanjaro. That sense of scale appears in the music less as travelogue than as a way of placing personal songwriting alongside larger questions of distance, conflict, memory and hope.
The Noticer has already drawn a series of positive reviews, with critics highlighting the record’s songwriting, intimacy and layered arrangements. Obscure Sound called it “an excellent showcase in songwriting from Mt. Kili,” while Plastic Magazine described the record as “enjoyable and moving in equal measure.” Other reviews have praised its “distinctive, down-to-earth voice” and the way it “beautifully interweaves intimate storytelling with subtly rich composition.”
The band is already looking ahead as well, with another album, Ikigai, currently planned for 2027.
For now, The Noticer serves as a strong introduction to Mt. Kili as a fully realized trio — three musicians allowing understated songs enough room to grow without losing the intimacy that started the project.
Listen to The Noticer:
