Carry Illinois grant stunning insight with their new EP, Work in Progress, a bristled and homely and humbled lineup of tunes. It’s worn around the edges, but underneath, there beats a truly remarkable, one-of-a-kind heart.

Carry Illinois are an LGBTQ force of power [who] hint at elements of folk, blues, and pop in their emotional songwriting. Tackling larger issues at hand, while remaining elegantly poetic, Carry Illinois are as accessible as they are relevant.

Lizzy Lehman sounds like Stevie Nicks and Brittany Howard vocally melded together.

Powering sleepy, twee-pop instrumentation, the singer/guitarist skewed introspective on “Shameful Feeling,” her otherwise theatrical voice hushed. “Little Shell” offered like-minded empathy, Lehman’s earnest narratives proving warm and hopeful.

Carry Illinois is a force to be reckoned with.