Stu Larsen: Resolute – stuck fast to a well-worn singer-songwriter formula

Growing up in a rural, remote part of Australia has clearly given singer-songwriter Stu Larsen the travel bug. He still thinks of home, of course, and visits when he can, but these days he writes songs based around his experiences in countries as far-flung as Scotland and Japan. The reference pitch on his second album – the follow-up to 2014 debut, Vagabond – is that if you like Passenger and Ed Sheeran, then you will really like Stu Larsen. There's a catch, however: the problem is that Larsen is treading a path already so well worn that it's now more instantly recognisable than warmly familiar. Songs such as What's a Boy to Do, Till the Sun Comes Back, By the River, and Chicago Song are glued to a formula that is fast becoming its own worst enemy. stularsen.com