Leaving You

(from GINKGO by Field Guides — out June 24, 2022)

Pre-order here: https://fieldguides.bandcamp.com/album/ginkgo

Taylor Bergren-Chrisman: electric & upright bass
Julian Cubillos: electric guitar
Rachel Housle: drums, percussion
Benedict Kupstas: voice, nylon-string & electric guitars
Jesse Perlstein: voice, field recordings
Adam “Bones” Robinson: tenor saxophone
Aaron Rourk: saxophones
Alena Spanger: voice, keys

Music & words by Benedict Kupstas  /  Produced by Shannon Fields, Nico Hedley, & Benedict Kupstas  /  Arrangement by Benedict Kupstas, Nico Hedley, & Shannon Fields, with all the musicians  /  Engineered by Julian Cubillos  /  Additional remote recording by all the musicians  /  Mixed by Eli Crews at Spillway Sound in West Hurley, NY  /  Mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering in Chicago, IL  /  Layout & design by Benedict Kupstas

Ginkgo

Field Guides - "Salmon Skin"

Fast Lane

Led by enigmatic songwriter Rowan Sandle, Crake is driven by her endless curiosity. Armed with her gently cracking vocal, and inspiration from writers like Shirley Jackson and Nan Shepherd, she sings of crinoids, slime mould and pussy willow. When they supported Buck Meek at Brudenell Social Club, Buck found himself so beguiled by Sandle and her band that he invited them to support Big Thief on their UK and EU tour in 2019. Crake duly obliged and have been building towards their debut full-length ever since. 

Much of the forthcoming album revolves around the death of Sandle’s friend Anna, who died in Syria after being hit by a Turkish air strike. Anna was working for a woman’s liberation group in the 
war-stricken country when the tragedy took place. ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ explores the grief that followed and the lessons learnt from dealing with such a significant loss. 

Sandle does, however, find space to explore more themes alongside this grief, such as cruelty and queer nature. On lead single ‘Winter’s Song’ she acknowledges the cruelty and coldness that exists within us all, and questions how we can continue to grow and love whilst remaining true to that. 

Speaking about the track, she said: “Winter’s Song is about the absolute mundane beauty of being fallible. It's a true story, I saw the moon rise but swore it was the sun setting. I think about this line a lot: “keep a little coldness in you, just wear it soft and gentle” Be soft, be kind, be honest. Being unremarkable has its own beauty.” 

Sandle’s love for queer nature is so fervent that it makes the experience of listening to Crake akin to that of stumbling on an entirely new world. Sandle believes that life isn’t as black and white as we’ve been taught, and thinks nature holds the key to revealing the true nature of human experience. The appearances of things like slime mould - single-celled organisms that form a single body when in search of food  - brittle starfish - a type of starfish whose awareness isn’t concentrated in one place - and other such oddities furnish ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ with a folklore all of its own. 

‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ will send you down multiple rabbit holes and you’ll emerge from each with a newfound appreciation for the complexities of the world. Perhaps even more important than this though is the humanity that lies at the very heart of this debut full-length. Whether it’s in the sensitivity in how she portrays the loss of her friend, the depiction of our most base instincts - namely cruelty, passion and love - or the 
sincere, pure quality of the songwriting itself, it’s this that makes ‘Humans’ Worst Habits’ essential, and 
invaluable listening. 

“A pensive, dejected moment of magic, but magic nonetheless” Gold Flake Paint
“Charming and intimate alt-folk” Dork
“The guitars sizzle like lightning bolts striking against an otherwise clear sky, while Sandle’s distinct, hoarse vocal plays like another instrument” Secret Meeting
“In a world of cynics, [Crake] make you believe anything might still be possible” For The Rabbits 

https://fikarecordings.com/artists/crake

Crake are:
Rowan Sandle - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Russell Searle - Electric Guitar, Piano
Rob Slater - Drums / Backing Vocals
Sarah Statham - Bass / Backing Vocals

Humans' Worst Habits

Rabbit

Crake - Rabbit

Keep It Cool - Available to stream on all streaming platforms

Keep It Cool

Bonfire

“'Doin’ Alright' feels like floating through a montage of moments from a past relationship from a 3rd person perspective. Some sweet and sentimental moments, others problematic in hindsight. The sounds, melodies, and harmonies feel like the space between the time of a heartbreak, and the present day having healed from it. The lyrics feel like the knowledge that you’ll never quite be the same, but probably in a good way."

Do U Mind?

Doin' Alright

The Weight of the Weekend

In Memory of Nicky

Strange (But I Like It)

Production: Seraphina Simone, Tom Stafford
Drums: David Dyson
Mixing: Harri Chambers
Mastering: Moshik Kopf @ NXNE Studios

💔🌊💔🌊💔 LYRICS 💔🌊💔🌊💔
My love is a stranger
My love is a ghost
My love is a liquor
Burning my throat
Ooh
There's a stranger in my bed 
'Cause I don't know where you went
My lover's made of velvet
My lover's made of velvet
My lover's made of stone
Oh he cuts me to the bone

Got a hold of you
Got a hold of you
Got a hold of you

Blue devil
Got a hold of you
Got a hold of me
Blue devil baby
Blue devil baby
Thunder rolling in as I watch you sink
Blue devil baby
How can we come back from this
Ooh

Sweet dolour
Sweet Saturn hold me
Dream a little dream of me
As you're swallowed by the sea
Ooh
Cold waves, hot temper
And all your violent embers
But your fire's cooling
And still you keep fooling me
With late night lies and midnight crying

Got a hold of you
Got a hold of you
Got a hold of you

Blue devil
Got a hold of you
Got a hold of me
Blue devil baby
Blue devil baby
Thunder rolling in as I watch you sink
Blue devil baby
How can we come back from this

You set it loose
It bared its teeth
And now something blue's got a hold of me
Love me tender, love me true
Love me 'til my heart turns blue
Does it still hurt for you
Or am I just a fading wound

Blue devil
Got a hold of you
Got a hold of me
Blue devil baby
Blue devil baby
Thunder rolling in as I watch you sink
Thunder rolling in
Still I pray that you'll swim
Blue devil baby

Blue Devil

Ben Charles XO

My debut album, Before the Fire, is out now: https://lovelockmusic.link/BeforeTheFireSC

Leaving You

Benjamin Charles

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