Since the coronavirus hit, people have sought comfort and identity in music perhaps more than ever — and it's no surprise that Westerly's perpetually positive singer-songwriter Will Evans has responded accordingly.

Earlier this month, Evans released a new, live, solo three-song EP called "The Summer Swell." A road-happy songwriter most associated with roots rock, jam and even reggae-tinged pop — all of which have deep associations with positive musical spirit, energy and a nurturing relationship with the environment — Evans explores these themes in totally new ways. And, along with accompanying performance videos taped oceanside in Charlestown, R.I., the effort is a striking portrait of a man confronting new experiences and feelings.

From his earliest days as the drummer/singer for Barefoot Truth, through an evolving and active solo career with albums like "Rise," "Wishin' Well" and "Signal Flares," Evans has consistently provided infectious, restorative grooves, lyrics and melodies.

"My music has always come from a place of compassion, but these have become times where nothing surprises us anymore. That's not a good thing," Evans says by phone last week. "You don't realize the effect it has, and you find yourself in a state of mind where sometimes it's hard to forgive people who have particularly strong opinions — even friends. I would never have expected it to get this far. On principle, I try to look at both sides as much as I can stand to do it. I've always tried to give other viewpoints a chance but, over the past few years, that approach just doesn't resonate anymore."

Along with that sense of frustration and moments of despair, Evans was forced to cancel extensive touring and recording plans. He did continue to work, offering live streaming performances from home or making the occasional and safe-distanced appearance throughout New England.

A baby girl

In a context of maximum importance, though, Evans has spent omnipresent quality time with his newborn daughter, whose appearance on Planet Earth has been a joyous counterweight to the oppressive stress of the year.

"The opportunity to be a stay-at-home dad for the first year of her life, when my career might not have allowed it, has been a true silver lining experience," Evans says. "Ordinarily, as a musician, if you can't tour and play your music, you can sort of lose your sense of identity for a while. But this has allowed me to focus on the positive in our little circles and be a force for good — and that's reflected in the new music."

The title of "The Summer Swell" would seem to reflect Evans' typically sunny disposition and/or his embrace of surfing as a vital and life-affirming activity — and that certainly comes into play. At the same time, "The Summer Swell" is also a COVID-era live music series experiment conceptualized by Dave Sarezen, a longtime Rhodie pal of Evans's. In fact, playing for the series provided Evans with the impetus behind the EP.

"We started 'Summer Swell' in June of 2020, with the goal of providing local artists a platform to showcase their music," Sarazen says by email. "There is a strong connection between music and the outdoors, and southern Rhode Island provides countless unique locations to shoot. Will is exactly the type of artist we want to showcase with this series. As a lifelong surfer and environmentalist, many of his songs speak to his connection and protection of the earth."

By the sea

For Evans's session, they chose a location in Charlestown near the beach. Evans decided to play three brand new songs that he had written during the pandemic that explored the various moods and emotions of the past year.

In that sense, despite the location and "Summer Swell" title, there's an autumnal feeling that seems to creep into the work. Evans says there's some validity to the observation.

"On the literal side, we'd meant to shoot the videos in mid-July," Evans says. "But for a lot of reasons, we were pushed back to the end of summer and, on the actual day of filming, the fog was rolling except for these few quick glimpses of radiant sun. So there was a sort of melancholy, end-of-summer vibe.

There's also the fact that, though the EP only has three songs, there are plenty of thoughtful and impressive splashes of mood and conflicting emotions. The kick-off tune, "Rogue," uses the symbolism of a wild surfer's wave to describe a most joyful experience.

"Rogue" is about having a child during — as I've started to call 2020 — this beautiful mess," Evans says. "There's a lot of ocean imagery because the ocean, and how I connect to it, is such a powerful and natural force. It's a slow tune, but the words and the undulating rhythm and the way the guitar cascades in this warm fashion captures a lot of how I feel about being a dad."

Contemplating darkness

The second track, "All My Relations," is a darker work at its core, but even so, Evans tries to find comfort and permanence in love and ancestral connection — again with oceanic imagery and textures.

"It's interesting because we recorded this as the sun was going down and the atmosphere was brooding and contemplative," Evans says. "It's basically a song about death, and that's something a lot of people have been thinking about during this pandemic. I've had a couple of surfing-related, near-death experiences, and I used the imagery of the waves crashing over you and coming back, and it's symbolic of the nature of all your relationships. It's one of the more powerful songs I've written in my life, and I can't wait to record with a full band in the studio. But this was a great way to get the song out there and the visual captured it and expressed my life as an artist."

The EP concludes with a percussive instrumental called "Full Moon Flow," a profoundly impressive piece improvised on the spot by Evans. Simultaneously playing a hang drum and didgeridoo, Evans manages to fuse all the mournful but affirming emotions of the last year. Everything he didn't say lyrically on the EP's first two songs is musically conveyed here.

Evans says, "It's just an energy flow instrumental created as it happened. It was completely spontaneous, and I could have kept going." He laughs and says he was perfectly ready to keep playing but "out of consideration to the film crew, I thought I should wrap it up."

Going viral

In that impromptu fashion, Evans released the "Full Moon Flow" video clip on Instagram "and it went viral for a couple weeks. Ordinarily, I'd expect a couple of thousand views. I got 40,000 and thought, 'Wow. That's resonating.' So it made sense to put the EP out immediately, and maybe we can help some people right now."

Of course, it's almost by artistic definition that, in releasing "The Summer Swell," Evans provides himself with a sense of accomplishment, activism and therapy as well.

"Oh, it definitely helps," he says. "It's so great to get this music out because there's nothing worse than sitting on songs for too long. You start to re-think things or change your mind. But I had so many friends tell me, 'Don't wait; you should put this out now.' These songs are raw energy, and it's good to get them out there. The weight is off my shoulders, and I can close the door on that chapter. It's a relief but in a very good and healing way. Release the music and let it go. There's more stuff to do."