It’s hard to believe that the duo Twelfth Day, featuring violinist Catriona Price and harpist Esther Swift who first met at college, have been in musical partnership for a decade now. Looking back at their creations to date, you could hardly call the path they have trodden a predictable one. In 2014 we called them “two of the best, most adventurous and interesting young players on the current Scottish scene”. Little did we know that their sense of adventure was so boundless in spirit. With the arrival of 2017’s Cracks in the Room, the duo made it clear that they were in full control of that journey and were prepared to both challenge and reward us with their own unique vision; it sounded like no other.
It’s a confident and gutsy performance, full of wry humour, frank observations of human nature and a clear enjoyment of song writing for the story’s sake. Twelfth Day are boldly unique, and Cracks in the Room is one of the most rewarding listening experiences to be placed before an audience this year. Neil MacFadyen (Folk Radio)
2019’s Face to Face saw them building on that confidence still further as they tackled strong social issues: “…even more intuitive and boundary-pushing from which they are rewarded with the undiminished courage to tackle prevalent social issues from climate change to gender roles through their songwriting.”
Taken from Face to Face, today sees the release of their new single “What’s Real“, whose message of compassion and celebrating individuality is delivered with the perfect progressive soundtrack. From the catchy off-kilter percussive claps to Catriona’s infectious violin, punctuated and elevated by Esther’s intuitive, almost jazz-like perceptive playing really does launch this song skyward. That’s just the beginning…throughout there are some beautiful surprising moments aided by Andrew Robb on double bass and John Lowrie on percussion; it knows no bounds, and when Lowrie lets rip, they enter a freeform movement that is both a dizzying and exhilarating listen.
They tell us:
“What’s Real sums up the broad theme of their last album ‘Face to Face’ – to challenge societal norms and expectations. ‘What’s real to you is real’. It is for the people who are given a hard time by our often condemning society. It’s about always considering everyone, and not dismissing those who may be perceived as being unusual in some way. These are the people who challenge us and we learn the most from. It’s about striving to live with as much compassion as possible. The first half of the song flows between dancy instrumental sections and more reflective verses. The duo wanted the track to then progress with quite an epic, optimistic feel, with soaring strings and a choral wall of sound in the chorus, with an exciting harmonic journey.”
Watch the accompanying video, directed by James Ewen below, which captures so much of this song’s joy and freedom.
Don’t miss their live online single release concert: Friday, July 30th. Access via Twelfth Day Patreon membership , or see website for ticket link www.twelfthdaymusic.com
What’s Real is out now on streaming services, including Spotify:
Photo Credit: Jannica Honey