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about

"An enchanting, deeply absorbing, and meditative album, the product of a musical affinity between two thoughtful and uniquely talented Scottish songwriters and musicians. Constant Follower and Scott William Urquhart have crafted a beautiful album " Folk Radio

"A gorgeous collaboration... Even Days Dissolve is forged with a similar [to Neither Is, Nor Ever Was] love of nature, respect for space and careful layering of instrumentation to create a self-soothing suite of tranquil beauty." The Scotsman

"McAll and his associates have produced a quiet masterpiece." A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed

"A very, very good album. Well worth investigating." Gideon Coe, BBC 6 Music


Acclaimed Stirling-based group Constant Follower, led by Stephen McAll, and renowned folk guitarist Scott William Urquhart have today announced their forthcoming collaborative album, ‘Even Days Dissolve’, which will be released on 14 April 2023.

The album follows on from Constant Follower’s lauded debut long-player ‘Neither Is, Nor Ever Was’, which was released in 2021 and nominated for the 2022 Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award.

‘Even Days Dissolve’ is an enchanting, deeply absorbing, and meditative album, the product of a musical affinity between two thoughtful and uniquely talented Scottish songwriters and musicians.

The songs that make up ‘‘Even Days Dissolve’ were inspired by ‘the grand old man of Scottish poetry’, Norman MacCaig (1910-1996), whose work is characterised by its gentle humour, precise observation and love for the natural world, which forms another key theme for the album.

MacCaig’s poetry holds great significance to McAll, as it formed a major source of comfort and support to him during a long period of recovery following a violent and unprovoked attack that left him with catastrophic head injuries, partially paralysed and unable to write or play guitar.

‘Even Days Dissolve’ is McAll’s nod of respect to McCaig, and the great man’s unmistakable words and inimitable voice feature on two of the tracks - single ‘Wildlife Cameraman’, and ‘Comes A Silence (Basking Shark)’ – sensitively set over the backdrop of beautiful and exquisitely crafted songs.

Scott William Urquhart’s masterful acoustic guitar playing is a stunning centrepiece of the album, imbuing the songs with a moving sense of atmosphere, and sounding at once both elegant and robust. Urquhart’s unassuming yet compelling vocals also feature throughout ‘Even Days Dissolve’.

Lead single ‘Waves Crash Here’ is a gorgeous, arresting opener, with Urquhart’s exquisite folk sound palette embellished with sweeping, moody electric guitar and Constant Follower’s expansive synth lines. On second single ‘Watching The Black River Run’ finger-picked guitar melds beautifully with McAll's deep vocal, with simpatico harmonies from Constant Follower’s Amy Campbell and the playful piano of Mark Tranmer (of GNAC and the The Montgolfier Brothers). The electric guitar on the latter track came about serendipitously, provided by Tom Hutchison, a childhood friend of Tranmer’s, after a spontaneous visit to the studio McAll and Tranmer share in Stirling.

Thoughtful collaborative flourishes like this underpin the synergetic nature of ‘Even Days Dissolve’. On ‘Ash Wednesday Slow’ Scottish hip hip talent CRPNTR contributes vocals, while on third single ‘Wildlife Cameraman (Summer Farm)’ the main backing vocal is provided by McAll’s 13 year old daughter Islay. Meanwhile, the album’s closing track ‘Comes A Silence (Basking Shark)’ features stunning saxophone by renowned young saxophonist Matt Carmichael, and harp by Berlin musician Andy Aquarius, the recent touring support for Constant Follower.

Speaking about ‘‘Even Days Dissolve’, Stephen McAll said: “The magic in music for me is all about collaboration. Finding people who inspire me to make better music, then working with them and creating something between us that’s better than what either of us could have made alone. It’s been an honour to work so closely with Scott William Urquhart on this album. He’s someone whom I’ve admired for some time - unquestionably up there with the best acoustic guitarists at the moment in Scotland, and such a beautiful writer of songs.

“Bringing two of these songs together with the voice of our beloved Norman MacCaig has been a real highlight of this project. His poetry was introduced to me by my high school teacher Mrs Tatarkowski, and it was the first prose I was able to read and understand when I was recovering from a traumatic head injury. So his work holds a deep space in my heart. I don’t think any poet or songwriter has matched his ability to capture the space and wonder of the natural beauty of Scotland.”

In support of the release of the new album, Constant Follower will perform at SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas in March, followed by a run of UK dates culminating in the launch show for ‘Even Days Dissolve’ with Scott William Urquhart.

13/3/23-19/3/23 SXSW Festival, Austin, Texas, USA
24/3/23 Reconnect Regal Theatre, Bathgate, UK
25/3/23 Wauchope Hall, Yetholm, UK
30/3/23 Astley Hall, Arisaig, UK
1/4/23 The Rockfield Centre, Oban, UK
15/4/23 ‘Even Days Dissolve’ Album Launch, Stirling TBC

credits

released April 14, 2023

Recorded by Stephen McAll at Hum of Gold, Stirling
Mixed by Stephen McAll at Hum of Gold, Stirling
Mastered by Kramer at Noise, Miami

Featuring the words of Norman MacCaig, spoken by Norman MacCaig.

Stephen McAll on vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, synths, keys.
Scott William Urquhart on vocals, acoustic guitar.
Norman MacCaig on spoken word (2, 8)
CRPNTR on vocals (7)
Kathleen Stosch on vocals (2, 4, 6)
Matt Carmichael on Saxophone (8)
Martin J Pickering on vocals (5)
Andy Aquarius on Celtic Harp (8)
Amy Campbell on vocals (3)
Islay McAll on vocals (2)
Mark Tranmer on piano (3), brass (2), bass (1)
Andrew Pankhurst on electric guitar (2,4, 7)
Kenny Bates on electric guitar (6)
Dave Guild on bass (2, 4, 6)
Tom Hutchison on electric guitar (3)
Gareth Perrie on piano (2)
And the Mytholmroyd Colliery Band (2)

Artwork by Kanae Park
Design by Tim O'Donnell

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