We chatted to the awesome Americana/folk duo about their sound, upcoming album and touring plans! Check it all out below!

How would you describe your sound?

It’s a mix of British and American folk influences–put Nick Drake and John Martyn in a crock pot with Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel and you get close. 

Quite an interesting name for a band, given that both parties are from seemingly different worlds. How did it come about?

We wanted to name ourselves after a boat that had crossed the Atlantic, given that we’re from England and America. We stumbled upon the story of a man named Poppa Neutrino who built a raft of junk called The Son of Town Hall (because those words were carved into a piece of wood toward the bow).  We studied the man and became increasingly fascinated by his story, which we incorporated into the mythic world we created for ourselves.

The single drops next week, what can you tell me about it? Is there a certain story around the track? 

There are stories behind all our tracks, many of them are found in the podcast Madmen Cross the Water. Sirens recasts the Greek myth onto the American frontier and plays upon the idea of mirages and false hopes, which all too often lead the weary, desperate traveler astray.  More generally, though, it’s a song about looking for some kind of comfort and kindness in the world, wherever that can be found.

It is part of a wider release, Of Ghosts and Gods, releasing at the start of next month. How does the track fit into that? Is it all of a similar vein in terms of sound and story, or is it more focused per individual track? 

Sirens is unique in that it features the Canadian trio The Pairs singing the part of the sirens in the choruses. So sonically, this song stands out a bit as no other track features any other vocalists. But the production is similar. There is a gorgeous string quartet on this track who play on much of the album. And conceptually, this song is very much part of the album’s story cycle, which follows the two protagonists around the world in adventure after adventure, managing to maintain their optimism and friendship no matter the trial or the setback. 

What is the writing process like for the band?

We have a great deal of respect for each other’s gifts as a writer and trust in the other’s artistry. Often one of us has the start, but as we sit together and begin play and sing, the song very quickly transforms into something that sounds like us. It is an uncanny, almost magical collaboration, which I think can be sensed simply in the blend of our voices, which makes the writing process move very quickly once an idea is there.

Do you have a favourite track on the upcoming album?

That’s like choosing between children! It’s a tough one. ‘Antarctica’ is one of the more epic numbers on the album. At the start of it, you’d have no idea how soaring the song was going to end up. The production is a metaphor for the message of the song, which is about believing in a dream despite the odds and obstacles. Every great journey begins with a single step, as they say, and so too with this song, as it starts plaintively in unison and ends with strings and brass and percussion and lots of voices. I think the song is particularly relevant at this moment where so many feel unhappy with how the world is and want to be able to believe in something bigger and better. Our project creates a space for that.

Had quite the busy year of touring already in the leadup to the release, right? Does the business continue throughout the year? 

Pretty much, yes. We’ve been getting more and more offers to play. The issue now is how to honour them all!

Any plans to play the UK again any time in the future?

Yes, we have a string of dates in June that we’re very much looking forward to.

What brought the idea for doing a podcast around?

Our show has always merged storytelling and song. And the stories we’ve created aren’t the typical singer-songwriter earnestly telling you how they wrote this or that song. We take audiences to New Orleans and talk about working in the circus or describe the storms at sea that nearly killed us. We’ve always been interested in how far we could take a tale. During Covid, we were unable to tour and so we began writing more elaborate versions of the stories, which ultimately became the podcast. If you see us in concert, I think you’ll find the pod to be a really beautiful way of going deeper into the fiction and turning us, ironically, into more real characters.

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you’d want to support or friends you want to bring along with you? 

If Tom Waits asked us to jump on his bus, we wouldn’t hesitate!

If you could have written one song from history, what would it be and why? 

We love so many songs. But we’re pretty happy with how all of them turned out. We’re more interested in continuing to craft our music together and push the performing genre in as interesting and moving a way as we can.