Cloudheads

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Cat No: NMCD57

Release Date: 21 April 2023

Label: No Masters

Packaging Type: Digipak

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 5020393905725

Genres: Folk Singer Songwriter

Description
We love this album - the brilliant Lucy Hanson designed the front cover for us and there is much to explore here, in her patchwork clouds, you will find references to the new album, past albums and a certain little boy!

In September 2022, we started recording our new album 'Cloudheads' by meeting up with BAFTA winning actress Suranne Jones and her husband Laurence at Dean Street Studios in Soho; there, we spent the day recording our tribute to Anne Lister and Ann Walker; 'The Ballad of Anne & Ann' with the pure voice of Suranne shining through the song. She has generously donated her fee for this to the Albert Kennedy Trust who support LGBTQI people who find themselves homeless.

We then headed to Peel House in Halifax to continue recording the album in a barn using Annie Lennox's studio piano. Despite the barn being very cold, we loved having the space and solitude to immerse ourselves completely into the recording process. The songs reflect what our lives have been like since Flynn was born, being parents for the first time, the pandemic, where we live, and the strong women from history that have inspired and captivated us. Also, both being diagnosed as autistic brings a neurodivergent lens to this album as we accept and love the parts of ourselves that we have struggled with over the years.

We're excited about the other musicians we've invited to play on the album. Anna Esslemont who wrote and performed all the string parts. Her arrangements are so incredibly intuitive and emotional, we can't wait for you to hear them.

Chumbawamba's Jude Abbott contributed beautiful and poignant Flugelhorn to 'Chimneys, Moors and Me', and 'The Ballad of Anne and Ann'. The contemporary clarinettist Jack McNeill added atmosphere, disquiet and idiosyncratic brilliance. Our mate Michele Stodart provided her unique, sensitive bass, adding electric and acoustic guitars and E-bow to some songs providing rich sonic textures that only her could think up. Hannah James from our feminist collective Coven spent a day with us playing accordion, singing and also providing feet percussion. She was a joy to behold. And finally, the wonderful guitarist and singer Katie Spencer spent a day with us and brought her intuitive playing and quiet confidence.
Tracklisting