Roman Holiday

Shelter

Long Time Gone

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

House on a Hill

Dragonfly

Colin and Clem

O Solitude

Arches

Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Olivia Chaney’s profile has been rising over the last few years, particularly in her native England, where she was recently nominated for BBC Radio 2’s Horizon Award for best emerging folk artist. But until now, she has proven elusive on the recording front, with only one highly praised but modestly distributed EP to her name, plus a few home-spun bootlegs. One had to be lucky enough to catch her on a stage to hear her entrancing sound and unique sensibility, evolving and refining with each gig she played. 

Her Nonesuch debut finally makes that experience more widely available. The Longest River is striking in its simplicity; it preserves the passion and immediacy of her live performances with a deceptively-structured informality. “It’s taken a long time to get to the point where I wanted to make a full record and I’m lucky Nonesuch heard me at the right time,” Chaney explains.

Chaney co-produced the album at the legendary RAK Studios in London with Leo Abrahams (guitarist, film composer, and Brian Eno collaborator). Veteran engineer Jerry Boys (Buena Vista Social Club, Sandy Denny) brought his magic to capture the takes with layers subtly added using Chaney's multi-instrumental skills, analogue synths, and steadfast collaborators on the London scene (Oliver Coates, Jordan Hunt, Leo Taylor). 

Chaney’s work has deep and varied roots which have enabled her to carve out something new yet timeless, bravely sparse, yet intensely lyrical. Original compositions are balanced alongside a typically eclectic range of covers that she has arranged and made her own, including the dramatic “Blessed Instant” by Norwegian voice-artist/composer Sidsel Endresen, 17th-century English composer Henry Purcell’s “There’s Not A Swain,” Chilean protest-singer Violeta Parra’s “La Jardinera,” and “Waxwing” from Scottish alt-folk singer-songwriter Alasdair Roberts. 

A combination of rigor and anarchy has always characterized Chaney’s life and music-making. This is apparent in her lyrics, which can be intellectually challenging even as they appeal to the listener’s emotions: in fact, the title track’s lyrics show empathy for Sigmund Freud. “I wanted it to have a transparency and intimacy, even if in a voyeuristic way,” Chaney explains. “I also wanted to pick up the atmosphere of the room I recorded in … almost tangibly feel the mood of the song and the performance.”

Olivia Chaney

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