Kevin Bronson on June 29th, 2015

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Five years ago, singer-songwriter Scott Bartenhagen announced his presence in Los Angeles by the incandescent single “Beacons.” Then, except for a trickle of DIY recordings, the Bartenhagen well seemed to dry up. For all his small, fervent cadre of appeciators knew, he’d packed up his guitar and sophisticated folk/pop/jazz stylings and moved back to his native Lathrop, Calif. It turns out he was, to cop a line from a move, busy livin’. “My first couple years in L.A were spent working too much, just trying to keep my head above water,” he says. “It makes for good writing but was terrible for getting out and playing.” Hopefully, his head will stay above water — his new EP “Black Dane” is a mini-gem, four songs of heavenly musing that represent some of oldest work. The EP was recorded with producer Jon O’Brien and features the talents of Kevin Farzad (percussion, vocals), Joseph Lorge (guitar, bass, vibraphone, vocals) and Nicolette Yarbrough (violin, vocals). “I wasn’t sure I would ever see them recorded before I moved on,” Bartenhagen says of the songs on EP, out this week via New Professor Music. “It was actually very cathartic for me.” As it is for the listener.

||| Live: Scott Bartenhagen celebrates the release of “Black Dane” with a show Wednesday at the Satellite, joined by Jr. and Nightgown.

Photo via Shane Lopes Photography

||| Stream: “Black Dane” in its entirety: