‘Progress’ is my debut solo self release. It consists of tracks written between Sep 22’ and Sep 23’. Releasing a collection of work shortly after creating it is a first for me so it feels right to release it simply and in a way that seems as direct as is possible.
I had no desire to have an overarching theme but in March last year, Ian Bonnell, a Billinge, Merseyside based photographer who I first was in contact with when Innerland came out (we began chatting as he is very knowledgeable on the subject of local geography) posted the cover image (a shot of central Manchester at 5:30 AM taken from Windy Arbour, Greater Manchester) and there was something about the image that felt like what I was striving for musically.
To me there are three layers to it - The elemental (the sunrise illuminating the hills of the Peak District), industry / technology of the past (the mill) and modern / future industry (the developing city).
Two dictionary definitions for the title:
noun
a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage
verb
to go forward or onward in space or time
It’s often a stock response to look at an image like this and pass it off as ‘progress’, quietly lamenting that something has been lost. That’s often true, but as we progress, something is also gained.
Available exclusively on bandcamp
credits
released February 2, 2024
Published by BMG
Cover image by Ian Bonnell
Mastered by Jonas Munk
Drums on ‘Guitar Fumes, Car Films' and ‘Golden Circle Game’ by Alex Allen and recorded at The Ark, Liverpool by Steve Powell.
Layout by Mark Peters assisted by Lorna Sergeant
Many thanks to Lorna Sergeant, Andy Burke, Dean Roby, Shirley and David Peters, Tom Sheehan, Dan Macbean, Nathaniel Cramp, Will Sergeant, Scott Robinson, Gideon Coe, Lauren Laverne and Richie Tomson
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