Josienne Clarke announces new album & shares lo-fi confessional ballad
‘Most Of All’
Parenthesis, I is due out on May 10th via
Corduroy Punk
UK tour dates announced
“Indie-folk queen” Uncut
“Fabulously satisfying” MOJO
“Her voice is a breathtakingly lovely balm” The Guardian
“A stark and intimate performance, steeping in longing and weathered beauty”
Under The Radar
“...her way with a melancholy melody – one that somehow uplifts and takes flight more than it drags you down” The Arts Desk
Josienne Clarke has announced her new album Parenthesis, I will be released on May 10th via Corduroy Punk Records. The Scotland-based critically acclaimed artist also shared the album’s lead single 'Most Of All', a confessional arpeggiated folk ballad that condenses her life story into five verses.
“It is a licking of wounds and counting of blessings, taking stock and setting straight in my head,” she says. “It’s one of those songs where I’m a bit exposed and I almost can’t bring myself to share it. Several times I nearly took it off the tracklist, but experience has taught me, those ones end up being among my audience’s favorite songs.” The version that did make it onto the LP is the original demo she recorded: just her voice and guitar, lo-fi and honest.
The track is out now alongside an Alec Bowman_Clarke-directed video that’s equal parts candid and cinematic. "Inspired by Sofia Coppola's Lost In Translation and tour diaries where you see a bit of each show, I wanted to explore what happens when Josienne isn't on-stage–behind the scenes of a life and career, dancing tenderly together like an elderly couple at a salsa class who have grown sick of the sight of each other but will remain together until they die,” explains Bowman_Clarke.
Throughout her career, Josienne Clarke has been both a Rough Trade-signed artist and a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winner, two opposing poles that neatly sum up her inability to be pigeonholed. After the success of her 2019 solo record, In All Weather, and the indie-infused A Small Unknowable Thing in 2021, she released the EP I Promised You Light and the covers EEP Now & Then in 2022. In 2023 she released Onliness (songs of solitude and singularity) – a moment of personal reclamation, which saw her re-recording songs from her back catalogue. Now, she stands on the cusp of a new era with Parenthesis, I. Shimmering, warm, intimate, and profoundly heart-wrenching.
The album is a masterful journey through Clarke's personal and musical evolution. On Parenthesis, I, she draws influence from folk greats Nick Drake and Sandy Denny, as well as more contemporary artists like Julia jacklin, Courtney Marie Andrews, Anaïs Mitchell and Lucy Dacus. "It encompasses all of my musical influences. You can hear flavours and textures from all the records I’ve put out in the last 5 years. After an interval I am presenting myself to the world, reworked, remade, anew” says Clarke, who produces all of her records, and also plays guitar, saxophone, clarinet and recorders throughout.
Parenthesis, I delves into the weighty themes of miscarriage and suicide interwoven with moments of resilience, joy and contentment. As Clarke aptly states, "The songs and their themes are immensely personal to me, but more importantly, these themes may be relatable to others." With lives characterised by complexity, nuanced feelings, and the slow, arduous process of growth, Parenthesis, I encapsulates Clarke's journey to resolution, seeking and finding a safe path of her own.
Tracklist
1. Friendly Teeth
2. Spherical
3. Fear Of Falling
4. Do You Know Now
5. Looking Glass
6. Forbearing
7. Most Of All
8. Double-Edged Sword
9. Firecracker
10. Dead Woman's Bones
11. The Calm
12. Parenthesis, I
13. Magic Somehow
Josienne Clarke Tour Dates:
03/06 - Newcastle, UK - The Cluny
03/07 - Frome, UK - Hydeaway
03/08 - Manchester, UK - Stoller Hall
05/02 - Colchester, UK - Arts Centre
05/03 - Cheltenham, UK - Everyman Theatre
05/04 - Barton-Upon-Humber, UK - The Ropewalk
05/05 - Barnoldswick, UK - Arts Centre
05/07 - London, UK - Cecil Sharp House
5/11 - Glasgow, UK - Glad Cafe
Josienne Clarke Online:
