MF Tomlinson shares Big Thief cover - "Mary" out now, announces Rough Trade East show 17th July
MF Tomlinson shares cover of Big Thief's "Mary"
Playing Rough Trade East in London 17th July - celebrating 10 years of PRAH Recordings
Special edition 'We Are Still Wild Horses' vinyl available for pre-order - limited to 100 hand-numbered copies
Follows recent UK/EU tours with Geese, TORRES & support dates with Dry Cleaning, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, James Yorkston and Nina Persson
LISTEN, "Mary" (Big Thief cover)
YouTube | Spotify | Smartlink
Praise for MF Tomlinson's 2023 album 'We Are Still Wild Horses'
★★★★ Uncut ★★★★ Mojo ★★★★ The Times ★★★★ The Line Of Best Fit ★★★★½ Gigwise ★★★★ Beats Per Minute ★★★★½ Music OMH ★★★★½ God Is In The TV
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(9th July) MF Tomlinson has shared a new cover of Big Thief's 2017 song "Mary" and announced a special edition vinyl of his universally acclaimed 2023 album 'We Are Still Wild Horses' - limited to 100 copies - each with hand numbered unique lino cut prints by Alex Mackenzie. The release of "Mary" follows Tomlinson's recent run of support tours in the UK and Europe with American heavyweights Geese and TORRES respectively, and signals the impending follow up to 'We Are Still Wild Horses'.
Speaking to the beauty of what it means to be alive, this enrapturing, pristinely orchestrated new version of "Mary" was born from Tomlinson's (in his own words)... "burning need to create an arrangement that was as big as it made me feel the first time I heard it. I felt it was echoing in a vast and unreal space, the belly of the whale, like being thrown around, carried away - set free, like smashing yourself apart with a sledgehammer.”
MF Tomlinson’s conscientious reimagining of the Big Thief staple was painstakingly crafted one instrument at a time; Adrianne Lenker’s powerful imagery – delivered through Tomlinson's singular baritone – weaving through brushed drums, deft piano strokes, building to a cathartic middle section complete with a stunning violin/flute intertwining solo.
Speaking on the inspiration behind recording the cover and its meaning to him, Tomlinson shared:
"Since the first moment I heard 'Mary' I have wanted to make this piece. Over the past year the MFs and I have been recording a new body of work and recording Mary has been a key part of the discovery of what that album is - from its themes of memory and emotional impetus to the production style and sonic landscape we’ve been engaging with.
I first heard Big Thief's Mary whilst on tour with Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. Late night driving, hyperfocused on the road appearing and disappearing in the narrow headlights, I was swallowed up by the quiet and immense power of the piece - an enormous turning wheel of emotion that summons your earliest and most fundamental places. It just felt fucking huge and at the same time incredibly close and tender. That feeling never left me, and so here we are with this recording."
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London-based, Brisbane/Meanjin-born singer-songwriter MF Tomlinson made his debut with the release of his 'Last Days Of Rome' EP in 2020 and has since released two critically acclaimed full length albums, 2021's 'Strange Time' and its follow up and sister album 'We Are Still Wild Horses' in 2023 via PRAH Recordings.
Merging together ambient, experimental jazz, acid-folk and indie folk to otherworldly new territory, 'We Are Still Wild Horses' received universal widespread acclaim upon its release from The Times, Mojo, Uncut, The Line Of Best Fit, Record Collector, Music OMH, The Arts Desk, Beats Per Minute, Gigwise, amongst many others.
Elsewhere, Tomlinson's work has been celebrated by BBC 6 Music's Mark Radcliffe (“I absolutely love this album") and has seen him traverse the globe, performing at festivals from Finland to Australia, and at the widely adored End of the Road Festival, not to mention support UK/EU tours with American heavyweights Geese and TORRES, alongside coveted support dates with Dry Cleaning, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, James Yorkston and Nina Persson - to name but a few.
MF Tomlinson's cover of "Mary" by Big Thief is out now via PRAH Recordings. MF Tomlinson plays Rough Trade East for PRAH Recordings' 10th Anniversary on 17th July. Tickets for Rough Trade East and copies of the special edition vinyl of 'We Are Still Wild Horses' are available to purchase here.
LIVE DATES
17th July, London - Rough Trade East
