Whilst Tanbark are a new name to me, it was the beautiful strummed opening of this track and Chloe Nelson’s vocals that hooked me right in. They have that timeless sound, one which sounds both vintage and original. It’s also one that they’ve clearly nurtured and developed whilst in New York City where they relocated to from Minneapolis in 2014, finding their place in the thriving Brooklyn music scene.
They began as a long-distance songwriting collaboration between Chloe, who was then studying art history in London, and James Jannicelli, a musician in Minneapolis. By 2012, they were both in the Twin Cities, where their country and folk-inspired songwriting and close vocal harmonies began to form the basis of their sound.
The material for their self-titled album (out on 31st May) started to come together, and in 2017, they enlisted engineer and musician Sam Owens (Cass McCombs, Blonde Redhead) to help bring it to life. Take a listen to Heart-Shaped Locket which Chloe shares some words on below.
“’Heart-Shaped Locket’ was inspired by a locket that I got at an antique market in London. I carefully drew tiny illustrations of people in it, and this personal touch unintentionally made the people indecipherable to anyone but myself. A locket is something you wear closed in plain sight, hiding the things or people that you most treasure. As with other songs on the album, I was inspired by talismans and good luck charms. I wanted to evoke hastily purchased gift shop tchotchkes and a getaway car with dusty pink dice on the rear-view mirror, rolling out of town. Halfway through the song the narrator gets a bit less reliable; she pleads and maybe longs for something she does not quite have.”
We’re looking forward to hearing more. Check them out here:
www.tanbarkmusic.com
www.facebook.com/tanbarkmusic/
www.instagram.com/tanbarkmusic
Photo Credit: Diana Rothery