Home Is Your Shoulder is the new release from Holly Lerski, taken from her forthcoming song cycle written on the road in America in 2019.
Holly released her first record, the Hallelujah EP, with her folk-rock band Angelou in 1997 on Boo Hewerdine’s label Haven Records. She went on to release a further four albums, garnering support from Radio 2. Her last album, ‘The Wooden House’, was picked by The Sunday Telegraph as one of the Best Folk Albums of 2015. The album was also reviewed by Helen Gregory for Folk Radio UK. Helen emphasised Lerski’s songwriting at the centre of the album “it’s this focus which is the album’s real strength.” She later adds “To be able to look beyond the surfaces of everyday concerns and find new insights may seem a small thing, but it’s a rare skill which should get a big thumbs-up from anyone with a penchant for a finely-turned phrase, something which Holly Lerski has in abundance…”
Home Is Your Shoulder is the second song written on the first leg of her journey. During one 4,000-mile journey, Holly spent a day at Alcatraz Island in San Francisco and was struck by the relatable sense of isolation and apprehension that comes with being cut off from longstanding support and comfort, of not having the shoulder of someone you love to lean on. Holly is joined on both Home is Your Shoulder and The Ark Refrain by bassist James ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson, best known for his work with Bonnie Raitt.
Lerski says about the experience: ‘I’d been on a train from Chicago to San Francisco, sleeping in a seat, for three days. This one came to me after I’d spent the morning on Alcatraz Island. I was sitting in Fort Mason Park looking feeling so disconnected and lost: missing home, missing my ex. I think I realised just how important physical contact was, and so I had to write about it. To me it’s a song about the importance of connection and reaching out. I want it to comfort people, especially now we’re all in another lockdown’
That same day, Hutch reached out to Holly offering her a bed for the night when she got to LA. By the time she reached him, Home is Your Shoulder had taken shape.
Watch the accompanying music video below. The video is courtesy of Space Race Studios, who had perfectly captured the empty streets of San Francisco in lockdown and the feelings Holly was grappling with.
Pre-order the digital EP on Bandcamp and download a day before official release: https://hollylerski.bandcamp.com/album/home-is-your-shoulder-e-p
Pre-save for streaming: https://orcd.co/hollylerskiyourshoulder
Join Holly and her sister Sam for the Live Stream Single Launch & Birthday Bash via Facebook Live on Friday 13th November. There will be a special Facebook Premiere of the mini-film ‘The Road Less Travelled’ at 8.30pm, prior to the event. Bring a bottle and celebrate: https://fb.me/e/5TdybSKm1
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