It was in 2018 that Somerset singer songwriter Kitty Macfarlane released Namer Of Clouds, a stunning debut album inspired by our relationship with the wild. A Featured Album of the Month on Folk Radio UK, it left a deep impression, appearing in our Best Albums of 2018 list as well as Thomas Blake’s Top 10 Albums of 2018. In his album review, Thomas felt the album was defined both by Macfarlane’s eclecticism and the wide-ranging sweep of her vision. From “the rich flavours Macfarlane’s heady songwriting and hypnotic singing”, it was an album to “savour…full of old wisdom and bubbling over with new ideas.”
We were not alone in our praise as Namer of Clouds garnered acclaim from all corners – from The Guardian (Best Folk Albums of 2018) ,The Observer and Financial Times to MOJO and BBC Countryfile magazine and BBC Radios 2, 3, 4 and 6 presenters (from Mark Radcliffe to Iggy Pop).
Now, over two years since Namer Of Clouds made waves, Bristol-based Kitty is about to release a new digital single, Half Wild, and this time she finds her inspiration in the sea.
The song was originally written with young dancers in mind – commissioned as a soundtrack to a film for Ballet Folk, an organisation combining contemporary ballet and folk music to create exciting theatrical works.
The song is a stand-out, symbiotic musing of the many moods of the sea – from its mightiness to its mellowness.
Says Kitty: “It’s a reminder that we are made of the same matter and mettle as much of the natural world, governed by the same laws and rhythms. We share the sea’s chaotic balance of strength and fragility.
“Like the breaking waves it’s within our power to leave a mark or no trace. Salt water might be mighty enough to sink steel and mould rock but it is also elusive enough to slip through our fingers. I think there is some of that duality in each of us.”
It was produced by Mark Tucker and also features Jim Molyneux on piano, keys, drums and backing vocals.
Watch the accompanying video below which was beautifully shot overlooking the Bristol Channel at Uphill Beach near Weston-super-Mare. Bethany Stenning is the Video Producer, co-director and Rob Ellis – Cinematography, co-director.
The song binds with her deep love and empathy for nature and the environment. Inspiring and deeply moving, it is also, like her debut album, full of wisdom.
Kitty has a string of shows booked for 2021 including appearances at Cambridge, Wickham, Folk by the Oak and Dartmoor festivals, a Scottish tour and a show at London’s English Folk Dance and Song Society HQ at Cecil Sharp House.
Half Wild is released on the Gilded Lily Records label on January 29.
Pre-Order/Save here: https://slinky.to/KMHalfWild
https://www.kittymacfarlane.com/