‘Travelling Bright’ is the new album from David Ian Roberts, released via Welsh label Cambrian Records on the 15th of March. David’s music takes inspiration from great guitarists such as Bert Jansch, Nick Drake and Elliott Smith, and brings in elements of classical and jazz music.
The album feels like a real artistic statement, a double LP, full of ambition from the Cardiff based songwriter. David’s lyrical imagery find parallels between our emotional landscapes and the natural world.
“The sea and the sky are recurring themes throughout the album, as they can have so many different states, which can easily reflect our internal lives.”
Recorded at Fieldgate studio in Penarth, the album oozes confidence and class. The album is best enjoyed in full, each track evoking a different musical world and rewarding the listener with a sense of exploration and catharsis. Listen to lead track ‘Sending Out Fires’
“The album is about trying to make sense of difficult times and getting through some grandiose states to find a more humble and honest sense of self. I experienced vivid hypnagogic images and half dreamlike states due to insomnia while I was writing the songs, which inspired a lot of the imagery on the album. I wanted to explore these internal imagined landscapes in the songs and describe the surreal places I could see. I’m trying to paint the inside of my mind onto the outside world. The stereo image is very important on the record. I think of it as a widescreen album.”
As a multi-instrumentalist and producer, David was able to maintain creative control throughout the process to ensure that his vision was fully realised in the finished work. He is joined on the record by Kirstie Miller on Cello, Daan Temmink on Piano, and Aidan Thorne on Double Bass.
There will be an album launch show on 22 March at The Gate, Cardiff. Ticket link and details here: https://www.thegate.org.uk/event/toby-hay-david-ian-roberts/
Travelling Bright is released on 15th March 2019 via Cambrian Records (CD / DL / Double LP).
Pre-Order via Bandcamp: https://davidianroberts.bandcamp.com/album/travelling-bright