The Ground Above: "Cigarette Curls" Marbled Vinyl LP

Pre-Order Item. Release Date Subject to Change.
Label: Partisan Records
Release Date: 26th June

Calling Beth Orton veteran singer-songwriter is a little unkind, it suggests an artist still knocking about, resting on laurels and making perfectly serviceable indie folk rock of an even but not exactly exciting level. However, Orton 30 years into her career is producing career best and her most sonically expanding music yet with a sound that recalls Talk Talk at their most experimental and John Martyn in his fluid new wave jazz era. 'The Ground Above' is Beth's most cosmic record yet.

For more than 30 years, Beth Orton has been our antenna to the cosmos, the poet laureate of forces too vast to take in all at once. A testament to her artistry, ‘The Ground Above’ is Orton’s most direct and unapologetic music to date; urgent, raw, embodied and emotionally fearless, moving between subconscious expression and expansive, timeless song craft. Her voice, from whispered incantation to primal wail, equally delivers melodies reminiscent of classic songbook form. Throughout the album, Orton documents survival and renewal, motherhood and identity, political unease, and the ongoing choice to stay - in love, in art, and in the world.

As with 2022’s critical breakthrough ‘Weather Alive,’ Orton self-produced the album, staying true to the collective spirit of the initial live recordings whilst sculpting and expanding, over a year long process, the record we hear today. Working with trusted musicians including multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, Vernon Spring’s Sam Beste, drummers Chris Vatalaro (Antibalas, Radiohead) and Vishal Nayak (Nick Hakim), Trumpet player Christos Styliandes and bassist Tom Herbert, Orton reaches new heights as a producer and songwriter.

Tracklist
A1 The Ground Above
A2 Before I Knew
A3 Cigarette Curls
B1 Waiting
B2 Celestial Light
B3 I'll Miss You
B4 Love You Right
B5 Otherside