‘What Lies Beneath’ out 7th November.
‘What Lies Beneath’ is the fourth album from Serious Child aka Alan Young.
Hailing from an old wood in West Sussex, Young draws from a wide range of influences to explore the world around us with a poet’s ear for emotion and a comedian’s eye for everyday detail.
‘What Lies Beneath’ is a collection of musical stories about what’s underneath the surface of our everyday lives, from a woman quietly riding the bus all day to keep warm, to the prickle of fear exploring an ancient burial chamber, to the joy of a midlife tattoo.
Young’s previous albums have consistently attracted four and five star reviews, and his last full album, 2021’s ‘Talk About The Weather’ (with Andy Ruddy) was shortlisted for Fatea Album of the Year. His most recent project was a charity EP for Save Ukraine, with whom his brother Dave worked as an emergency relief driver.
For the new record, Young has drawn from a wide range of sources of inspiration- from Tony Harrison’s sonnet “Book Ends”, to Rob McFarlane’s brilliant book “Underland” and Georgian traditional lullaby “Iavnana”. The album sees him joined by classical composer and violinist, David Grubb, bass clarinettist, Anna Perry, vocalist and touring partner My Girl The River, and long-time collaborator and producer Chris Pepper.
The result is the bold sound of an indie-pop artist exploring and confidently fulfilling their potential. Opener ‘Underland’ starts things off on interestingly uncertain terms with its gorgeous thick harmonies plumbing dark choral-folk territory. Then, delectable orchestral-pop gems ‘Stunt Double’ and ‘First Tattoo’ find Young working in a similar sphere to The Divine Comedy and Tindersticks, with wit and charm laced in equal measure through gripping, invigorating and theatrical music.
‘Veneer’ is a sumptuous affair where the string moods of the record become even more deeper, leading the listener further into Young’s intriguing world, ‘Dusk on the 33’ has a slightly otherworldly off-kilter psychedelic lilt as piano takes the fore, and tracks like ‘Charming’ and ‘Cancel Me’ have an almost They Might Be Giants or David Byrne-style eccentricity to them, where acute lyrical observations combine with unusual but highly engaging songwriting in a hypnotic manner.
His most ambitious and varied offering to date, Serious Child’s ‘What Lies Beneath’ is an alternative masterpiece which should be cherished in record collections far and wide.
Catch Serious Child playing around the UK on a double headline tour with My Girl The River as follows:
16 October – Windsor – Other Space
17 October – Cambridge – Portland Arms
6 November – Luton – The Bear Club
13 November – Surbiton – The Lamb
15 November – Alton – Beech Village Hall
16 November – London – Water Rats
19 February – Bristol – Hen & Chicken
22 February – Penzance – Acorn Theatre
13 March – Winchester – The Arc
15 March – Stroud – Prince Albert
We have THREE CDs to give away!
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