Die britischen Occultation Recordings und die neuseeländischen Fishrider Records bringen zusammen ein gemeinsames Album der aus Wellington stammenden Sängerin und Songwriterin Emily Fairlight und The Shifting Sands heraus – letztere sind ein ebenfalls aus Neuseeland stammendes Psych Rock-Trio, das hier durch Sänger und Gitarrist Mike McLeod vertreten wird. “Sun Casts a Shadow” ist ein lediglich auf zwei Stimmen und zwei Gitarren aufbauendes Werk, das auch durch seine beinahe provisorisch wirkende Rohheit besticht, die die Sensibilität des Songwritings und die anrührende Atmosphäre noch mehr betont. Geplant sei das Album in der vorliegenden Form nicht gewesen, heißt es seitens der Künstler, lediglich ein oder zwei Songs habe man einspielen wollen. “Sun Casts a Shadow” erscheint am 19. August in den gängigen Formaten.
“We never meant it to result in an album. Before the tour we’d been working tirelessly on Emily’s solo record, both putting huge amounts of time and effort into meticulous details, which was totally appropriate for that album – and it sounds beautiful, I might add. We went to throw down a song or two at Manny’s and got on a roll. I think after making heavily layered sonic pop albums with the Sands, where I’d hide behind my songs with layers of guitars and synths and bury my vocals for fear of embarrassment, I wanted to get past that, to feel okay about my songs as they stand. This album sounds like Emily Fairlight and Mike McLeod playing in your lounge. Most performances were nailed first-take – we finished nine songs in two days. It feels like a complete work that perfectly captures a special moment. I’m really proud of it.” (Mike McLeod)
“When I first listened to The Shifting Sands, I could hear a similar style in our songwriting. Then Mike and I started playing and touring together, so this colab album felt like a natural progression for our musical relationship. I haven’t done much collaborative work, so was pleased to fall into this album almost by mistake. The songs’ raw, ‘stripped-back’ form is mildly daunting for us both but hey, that’s the sound of some of my favourite artists, so we hope you’ll enjoy the songs in their purest state.” (Emily Fairlight)