Photo Journals
Making Of / Launching Of
Hello July. I hope you’re keeping cool wherever you are.
Releasing our album Wild Moves last week brought back a lot of memories as well as creating a lot of new ones. Below are two photo journals. I tried to limit myself to 13 photos per set — the number of songs on the physical CD, if you count the bonus tracks. It was an exercise in restraint not including videos too.
The first journal is from our recording sessions in January 2020, when Ariel, Darren, Jake & Matthias of The Burning Hell set up Snowbird Studios 1 on a little hilltop in Italy. These sessions have become mythological in my mind. The pinnacle of a pre-pandemic pre-parenthood past life. Ironically, much of our post-pasta conversation (and several of the songs) already centred around the demise of civilisation. Little did we know what was coming!
The second journal is from last Sunday, when we threw a little party to launch the album, gathering locals and loyals in a hidden folk club below our friendly fishmonger, yes you read that right. It was 33 degrees, the hottest night of the year, packed like a tin of sardines, and absolutely perfect. The closing track on the album, 51/49, is about guilty moments of absolute joy, despite it all. The party was one of those moments for me; what it’s all about.
Here’s that song —
Here’s a wonderful review in The Arts Desk — “music built for these times” —
Here’s JF & I discussing Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water on the latest episode of the podcast You, Me & An Album —
And here are the photos! If your email provider tries to curb my enthusiasm by cutting some off you can view them all by clicking here.
Photo Journal 1 — Snowbird 1, Riofreddo, Italy, 2020.
Photo Journal 2 — Wild Moves Album Launch Party, London, 2025.
(Thanks again Lloyd Ellis for taking most of these photos!)
Finally, if you haven’t listened to our album yet, don’t feel bad. It took us five years to put it out. You’ll get to it eventually. And then you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it. Joking, it’s not that good. Joking again, it’s the best thing since whatever the last thing we did was. Don’t delay. No rush:
Lail x
Lovely photos. Looks like you had a great evening with your friends and fans.
I did listen to the podcast and it was interesting to see how the two of you write together and separately. I did not know about Los Lobos and Graceland but always thought that song sounded like them.
Good luck with your shows and thanks for the tunes.
Love these photos. And thanks for the You, Me & An Album shout-out!