Ok found more info on the project, I wasn't convinced it was AI but I wouldn't have found it to be impossible either (the subject of ai generated music is definitely a topic I will wanna discuss and look into in the future for better or worse) but looks like this particular band isn't. The artwork for the singles are clearly ai generated though. I'm genuinely interested in hearing a mods thoughts on this based on it's prior rejection when there's an orc themed band that rerecords their music based on ai generated music already on the site (Frostbite Orckings)

Anyway here are some links to the project/producer collective:
https://www.facebook.com/MightyHappyCrew/
https://www.youtube.com/c/MightyHappyCrew?app=desktop

Quote from: https://www.mightyhappycrew.com/artists ... an-anarchy
"Appalachian Anarchy is an instrumental ensemble that emerged in 2024, founded and led by Patrick Coffin of the Mighty Happy Crew. Based in Utah, Patrick infuses the band's sound with his mastery of folk-inspired guitar work, crafting intricate melodies and rich textures that evoke the rugged landscapes of Appalachia.

The Mighty Happy Crew, a collective of instrumentalists and producers, collaborates with Patrick to create a dynamic fusion of traditional folk elements and modern instrumentation.

Led by Patrick's vision and the collective creativity of the Mighty Happy Crew, Appalachian Anarchy represents a sprawling frontier in instrumental music, where tradition meets innovation in the modern landscape."

Bandcamp link
https://appalachiananarchy.bandcamp.com/

I've dealt with most of these AI submissions, and this has the typical AI trademarks of artificial and fuzzy sound. Hard to put into words exactly, but it's one of those "you know it when you hear it" situations, especially after you've put up with so much of this. Some other red flags to look out for: Like you mentioned, the AI covers, but also the fact that they never credit or show the "instrumentalists and producers" even when asked, and how they've churned out 14 singles in barely a month. It's also common for AI "bands" to tack on whacky genre descriptions to song titles for better search results, i.e. insane bluegrass metal or outlaw country metal. Even if all of these red flags somehow have a natural explanation, we still need better proof that their music is not AI. Until then, the blacklisting stays.

Moreover, Frostbite Orckings is a selected exception because they "use newly-composed music from hired session musicians to feed their learning algorithm rather than relying on other artist's copyrighted songs." The problem with most AI "bands" is that they take other copyrighted songs and just mash them together, therefore not meeting the criteria of original material.