Bridget Hayden, the experimental musician who successfully invited ghosts into the machinery of classic folk with her January masterpiece Cold Blows the Rain (Basin Rock), has returned with a final offering from those haunted sessions. Today, she unveils “Our Ship is Ready,” a track that captures the same spectral magic but was physically unable to fit on the final vinyl pressing.
The single is released today, along with a limited-edition lino print (available from her Bandcamp). It’s printed from an original block made in 1984 by her dad, Reg Hayden. Bridget explains her relationship with the song itself:
“The first time I heard this was about ten years or so ago in my Mum’s kitchen. It was one I’d never heard her sing until then and I couldn’t believe she’d never played it to me before. I made her sing it over and over until I’d learnt it. I’ve since heard Margaret Barry’s version of course. I don’t know of any others, but I’m sure there are many. We couldn’t squeeze it onto the vinyl, so it’s coming out as a digital single.”
Musically, the track retains the atmospheric weight that made Cold Blows the Rain one of the year’s most distinctive and critically acclaimed records. Fresh off startling performances at Green Man, End of the Road, and Supersonic festivals, Bridget Hayden & The Apparitions have released an accompanying live video filmed and edited by Nick Farrimond in their hometown of Todmorden.
It is a haunting coda to a celebrated project. As Hayden poignantly reflects on the environment that shapes her sound: “The weather speaks the most eloquently about human loss,” Bridget says. “It’s good to feel enveloped by something so much vaster than ourselves. The rain and the tears all become one.”
Order via Bandcamp: https://bridgethayden.bandcamp.com/merch/lino-print-a4-edition-of-20