Awkward Branches share new single 'A Distant Room' ahead of debut EP 'Melody for a Friend' out May 4th via Tip Top Recordings
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Awkward Branches, the new project of singer, keyboardist and former Fiction frontman Mike Barrett share new single 'A Distant Room' ahead of the release of their debut EP Melody for a Friend due out May 4th via Tip Top Recordings (Gabe Gurnsey, Japanese Television).
New single ‘A Distant Room' began life as an infectious, undulating bass loop, the self-produced track unfurls like a surreal dream. Interlocking synth delay patterns, lap steel guitar and chopped-up beats lay the foundations for an exploration of distance, loss and faith through Barrett’s searching vocals and ethereal imagery. The song was the most recently recorded addition to the collection, pulling together various elements from the rest of the EP - and the 7 year cycle that birthed it - into an expansive and daring production, full of possibilities about where the Awkward Branches project might go next.
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Melody for a Friend, The 6-track EP, charts the growth of a friendship over seven years, formed when the pair first met under a much-beloved tree in the grounds of an old wedding chapel where they both worked. In between managing ceremonies, handing out confetti and pouring prosecco for an endless stream of wedding guests, talk would often turn to music. United by a shared appreciation for ambient soundscapes and buoyant melodies, they tentatively began recording a few sketches, some of which would eventually find their place as fully formed songs on the EP.
In the meantime, the pair often played music together as part of other projects including Mike’s dream-pop project, Brand New Moon, and with 6-piece experimental collective, Holy Island Sketchbook. During various writing trips to Wales with the latter, they found more time to write as a pair again.
After Phil’s relocation to Bristol, the collaboration evolved too; ideas sent back and forth over emails, discussed over phone calls and occasional writing and recording sessions in-person. Out of this era of writing, the last two tracks of the collection were born - the final pieces of a puzzle that has grown organically without pressure or expectation.
From the bouncy acoustic opener and debut single, ‘A Frame (Not a Window)’; the Balearic dream-pop of ‘Summer of the Pine’; to the nostalgic title-track, Melody for a Friend which closes the EP, this collection of 6 self-produced and lovingly-crafted alt-pop pieces showcases Awkward Branches knack for weaving melody texture and lyricism into compelling and rewarding songs. More than that, it is a document of an era, a 7-year cycle, marked by separation, change and loss; a testament to friendship, collaboration and taking things slowly.
Awkward Branches
Melody for a Friend
(RD: May 4th via Tip Top Recordings)
1. A Frame (Not a Window)
2. In That House
3. Just up the M4
4. Summer of the Pine
5. A Distant Room
6. Melody for a Friend
