Interview: Wildwood Kin talk latest single

Family alt-folk trio Wildwood Kin made quite the impression with their 2017 debut album ‘Turning Tides’. It set them on course for an enthralling ride which led to majestic performances at GlastonburyRadio 2 Live in Hyde Park and the Teenage Cancer Trust’s ‘A Beautiful Night Out’ at the Royal Albert Hall – plus extensive support from Radio 2 and BBC Introducing. A growing fanbase fell under their spell in the process, pushing them past the 20 million streams landmark.

Now Wildwood Kin return with their self-titled second album, which will be released on October 4th via Silvertone Records/Sony.Completely fulfilling the band’s artistic vision, it’s as natural as it is accomplished. The trio’s vocals harmonise effortlessly, there are shades of Simon & Garfunkel, Bear’s Den and early Fleet Foxes in the beautifully gentle folk rock melodies, and its lyrics address profound themes like love, loss and spirituality. But above all, there’s a spirit to the record that’s as wild and free as the West Country moors where they grew up.

The album was launched earlier this month with the lead single ‘Never Alone’, a beautifully sombre, Fleetwood Mac-like folk rock ballad which radiates with positivity. Produced and co-written with Ed Harcourt‘Never Alone’ is deeply personal and a message to anyone feeling as isolated as Meg Loney’s brother – who sadly committed suicide.

Alongside the single, Wildwood Kin have also released a video of them recording the track in the studio with Ed. Made by the band’s own Beth Key.

Completed by Meg’s cousins, the Key sisters Emillie (guitar) and Beth (bouzouki), Wildwood Kin are a band of equals with each member contributing equally. This time around they delved deeper into their sound by experimenting with a variety of co-writers across sessions in in Los Angeles, Nashville and Oxfordshire. These included Gabrielle Aplin on ‘Wake Up Sleeper’, Angelo Petraglia (Taylor Swift, Kings of Leon) on ‘All On Me’ and Alex Davies (Sigrid, Birdy) on ‘Signals’, with Ian Grimble (Bear’s Den, Catfish & The Bottlemen) on production duties.

The songs are all built around messages that Wildwood Kin believe in. The warm-hearted ‘All On Me’ is similar in spirit to ‘The Weight’ by The Band, a song about sharing the load with someone. ‘The Crown’ addresses the rise of political showmen, and asks if any would actually stand up for what they believe if their power was stripped away. The strident ‘Time Has Come’ is both a female empowerment anthem and a reminder to not let yourself be crushed by circumstance, while the intimate acoustic lament ‘Beauty In Your Brokenness’ is about self-acceptance. 

Wildwood Kin may have an unusual gift for harmony, and a way with evergreen folk rock melodies, but ultimately they’re three normal, relatable young women finding their way in the world and dealing with the same challenges, triumphs and tragedies as the rest of us. That connection, acceptance and, ultimately, love is captured throughout this beautifully reflective album. It is a tonic for our times.

The album will be released on CD, vinyl, and digital/streaming and is now available to pre-order now, with ‘Never Alone’ provided as an instant download. We caught up with the band as they talked about their latest single Never Alone and more!

So how has the release of Never Alone gone done so far?

The response has been amazing! Better than we thought it would be. It was a bit daunting and scary at first knowing this is the first taster of our new album so we felt there was a lot riding on this song, but the response has been that people are loving it!

Can you tell us something about the single no one else knows about?

Well this is a bit embarrassing to admit, but after writing Never Alone, we had a long drive and we listened to the demo on repeat for most of the journey home because we were so pleased with it. I think the lyrics and subject matter went so deep with the band -we all felt quite emotional!

How pumped are you for the release of your upcoming self titled album?

We’re so excited! We can’t wait to get this album out, we feel like it really represents our sound and who we are which is why we wanted to make the album self-titled. We’ve developed and learnt a lot since the release of our previous album Turning Tides and we hope people recognise that. We worked with an awesome producer Ian Grimble too and we’ve always really respected his work so hope people will recognise his expertise in this record we created together.

How have the people at Silverstone Records/Sony helped you achieve this?

We have an incredible team of people on our side at Sony who have really taken care of us and made sure we’ve been really happy with how its sounding and the promotional material behind it. It really helps to know we have their backing and support and that they’re just as excited about the music as we are.

What was your favourite moment recording this album?

I’m not sure there’s been a favourite moment as such, we worked with such an amazing team and it was great getting to know them and now we feel like they’re good friends. It sounds obvious but I think one of the most rewarding things has been hearing it all come together. Adding extra musical bits to make the sound more full is always fun and experimenting with interesting and unusual things to create new sounds. We used a cutlery draw on one of the tracks. We had a lot of fun!

If you could work on a new song with any band, who would it be and why?

I think maybe a collaboration with someone like Bombay Bicycle club could be quite interesting. They experiment with really interesting sounds and instrumentation. We always like to try new things and their melodies are really cool too.

You have a fair few shows left in 2019, what one stands out for you the most?

Glastonbury is going to be fun. We’ve done it twice before but is always such a special time, it’s the craziest place in the world and we’ve met some great people there and we’ve had a lot of opportunities open up just from being there and having conversations with people we come across.

What do you get up to in your spare time when not working on music?

We’re all quite outdoorsy people so try and get outside when we’re home – Meg’s into surfing and Beth’s into photography/videography and Em’s into illustration and art. We’re quite creative people so use other outlets to help us rest and get ready for busy seasons!

The band also recently announced a headline tour that will follow Wildwood Kin’s busy summer of festivals which include Glastonbury, Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival,  and a main stage performance at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention.

Full list of live dates for 2019

June

22nd Dorset, Leweston Festival

28th Glastonbury, Croissant Neuf Stage

July

6th Cornbury Festival

13th Dorset, Jurassic Fields Festival

27th Cornwall, Port Eliot Festival

August

2nd Inverness, Belladrum

9th Cropredy, Fairports Cropredy Convention

17th Tilford, Surrey, Weyfest

31st Shebfest

November *NEW HEADLINE TOUR DATES*

6th Norwich, Waterfront Studio

7th Birmingham, O2 Academy 3

8th Manchester, Night & Day Café

11th London, Omeara

12th Bath, Moles

13th Cardiff, Glee Club

14th Bristol, Thekla

15th Bude, Bude Folk Festival

17th Southampton, Joiners

18th Brighton, Komedia

21st Exeter, Lemon Grove

28th Liverpool, Leaf

29th Whitby, Pavilion

December

1st Edinburgh, Caves

2nd Glasgow, Stereo

3rd Newcastle, Cluny

4th Leeds, Brudenell

Official website