Christina Alden and Alex Patterson’s long-awaited second album, Safe Travels, is released on 9th May. The album follows four years after the duo’s debut album, Hunter (2021). In his review of the album, Johnny Whalley highlighted how their thought-provoking lyrics, the album’s lightness of tone, and the often deceptive simplicity of the arrangements have the power to transport you to the wide-open spaces evoked by many of the songs.
Filmed by Nathan Clarke, we have the pleasure of sharing a live performance of the heartfelt A Hundred Years Ago. The duo shared the following:
This is a song about birth trauma, a farewell to the pieces of yourself you leave behind and the power of the human body. ‘When our daughter Etta was born in February 2022, we spent five days in hospital. As storm Eunice battered the windows and the world outside, I was struck with severe pregnancy-induced hypertension and spent the time plugged into machines with multiple cannulas pinned to my every limb. It was both extremely tough and beautiful.’ We emerged almost a week later in the wake of the storm as news broke of Russia crossing the border into Ukraine. It felt like such an uncertain time to be bringing a child into the world. This is a song about those momentous events that happen throughout life, the ones that leave their mark, shifting the earth beneath your feet and changing things forever.
Safe Travels is a deeply personal collection of songs that explores their journey into new parenthood, the importance of home and the relationships that bind us together across the generations. They shared:
“We began making this album at the start of 2022 as the world was emerging from a global pandemic and just before the birth of our daughter, Etta. Some of these songs are like old friends that have travelled many miles with us, while others came about in the final stages of production. This is a collection of songs and tunes that feel as if they have grown and changed with us over the years. Those keen listeners among you may even hear some of our home life; our old cat pottering and meowing around the house, our daughter talking in the background or the sound of city life just beyond the studio walls. We are so proud of this album and it’s been a real pleasure creating this music together.”
For details of their upcoming tour dates and and to pre-order Safe Travels (Digital/Handmade CD or Cassette), visit: https://christinaaldenandalexpatterson.com/
The album is also available digitally via Bandcamp.