Indie folk singer/songwriter duo Penny Sparrow rose out of Austin, Texas, in the early part of the 2010s, combining rich harmonies and a modern sensibility inspired by acts like Bon Iver, the Swell Season, and Mumford Sons. After honing their sound with a few indie releases, they signed with Southern indie Single Lock Records and issued a trio of well-received albums including 2016's Let a Lover Drown You and 2019's R&B-influenced Finch. They kicked off the next decade with both a live and remix album before issuing new material on 2021's Need You EP.

Penny Sparrow formed while members Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke were living as roommates at the University of Texas in Austin. The two friends began writing and singing together in 2011, creating simple acoustic arrangements and recording on a laptop. Their first effort, a three-song EP called Creature, introduced the warm, sincere balladry with Christian undertones that would become their calling card. Their debut album, Tenbloom, arrived in 2013 and found their arrangements expanding slightly in scale. Their follow-up, Struggle Pretty, was released a year later, adding lush orchestral layers to their evolving sound.

The acclaim and attention garnered from those two independent releases ushered in a record deal with Single Lock Records, an Alabama-based label co-founded by John Paul White (the Civil Wars) and Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes). Both White and Tanner would end up co-producing Penny Sparrow's 2016 label debut, Let a Lover Drown You, which they recorded in historic Muscle Shoals, Alabama. A holiday set simply titled Christmas Songs appeared later that year as Baxter and Jahnke wrapped up sessions for their self-recorded third LP, Wendigo, which was released in the summer of 2017. Two years later, the duo's R&B-influenced fourth album, Finch, explored themes of faith, loss, and doubt. The duo issued a 2020 concert album, Live in Texas, 2019, followed a year alter by Horse Color Two, a collection of remixes. 2021 also saw Penny Sparrow release fresh material with the Need You EP. ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi