After the stellar response they received for the album’s title-track ‘Click Click Domino’ and follow-up cut ‘Road To Avalon’ earlier this year, which were supported by WONDERLAND, Rolling Stone, The Independent, The Guardian, CLASH ‘Track of the Day’, NME Radio, American Songwriter, Songwriting Magazine and many more, British duo Ida Mae are back to unveil the next delicious dose of their forthcoming full-length with ‘Little Liars‘.
Known for their intense blend of electrifying guitars and yearning keys with inseparable harmonies, all mixed together in a British folk-rock cauldron, ‘Little Liars‘ sees them focus on the more sultry and earnest side to their sound. Filled with hypnotic undertones and singer Stephanie Jean’s powerful voice, their newest release is a light yet textured return that uses minimal instrumentation to create a wonderfully intriguing atmosphere.
The new offering also comes accompanied by brilliantly animated video from TP Hyland, who was also responsible for the video behind their lead single ‘Click Click Domino’. Channelling the blissful soundscape of the release, the visuals add a cinematic layer to this already encapsulating return.
Speaking about the new single, they said, “Sometimes when writing for myself a lyric will suddenly take on a whole new meaning and atmosphere when Steph sings it. ‘Little Liars’ was one of those moments. This a runaway song, the first person whisperings of a seductress that you’ll follow whatever the consequences! Politically speaking this song also has become increasingly poignant to us as 2021 has continued.
“In the production of the whole record we wanted to juxtapose early traditional American instruments with distinctly modern sounds to reflect the land and climate that has inspired the songs. The main riff is played on a 1920s New Jersey made Mandolinetto, accompanied by a rare analogue drum machine used by piano players in hotel lobbies and bars in the 1970s. You’ll also hear a buffalo hide drum alongside a 1950s Cheerleaders marching drum we found in Ohio….we have an ever growing collection of rare and vintage equipment we’ve peeved together from pawn shops…even a Carnation Condensed Milk tins feature on the record…10 points if you can find it…”
While the video’s director added, “I first heard the track in Chris’ car on our way back from shooting Click, Click Domino and knew instantly I wanted to match the monotonous riff and beat with something equally odd and looping. I loved the way Ida combined 80’s drum machine with Blues influence and the strange production that ebbed and flowed the concoction of tastes throughout. It’s now our 8th video together and I wanted to try something similarly strange and monotonous with the visuals. Having seen a lot of Steph’s incredible collage art work that she made for the album campaign, I wanted to flex my creative muscle doing something similar.
“A big inspiration behind the video was bringing to life a Peter Blake style collage in a very simplistic fashion, intertwining interactive moving images with a collage effect that did not move. I wanted to create a surreal and strange universe that combined both Ida’s love for Americana and mine for Quintessentially English influence.
“I liked the idea of bringing together odd mismatched characters in surreal situations. Amongst many others, you can see Guy Bourdin photographing an upturned Andy Warhol Campbell soup, Zizek, Raymond Carver and a couple of friends hanging out by a swimming pool that’s carved into the Sphinx and lots of strange surprises in between.”
Ida Mae has just announced two forthcoming live shows, a headline London show and Red Rooster Festival in Suffolk. Those dates are: St. Matthias Church, London Thursday 19th AugustRed Rooster Festival, Suffolk – Saturday 28th August
The record ‘Click Click Domino’ was inspired by their transatlantic travels during the release of their critically-acclaimed debut album ‘Chasing Lights’. Forced by the pandemic to cut their tour short, they ended up writing and recording this album at their Nashville home while in quarantine last spring. Ever the dream team, Ida Mae’s Chris Turpin took on the production, having honed his skills over the years observing Ethan Johns, T Bone Burnett, Ryan Hadlock, M Ward and more, while Stephanie Jean has crafted the art and other visuals. The album features electrifying guest appearances from Marcus King and Jake Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet on a few tracks, and drumming throughout by Ethan Johns.
‘Click Click Domino’ Tracklist:1. Road to Avalon2. Click Click Domino (feat. Marcus King)3. Line on the Page4. Raining for You5. Little Liars6. Deep River (feat. Marcus King)7. Heartworn Traders8. Calico Coming Down9. Learn To Love You Better10. Long Gone & Heartworn (feat. Jake Kiszka)11. Mountain Lion Blues12. Sing A Hallelujah13. Has My Midnight Begun
For nearly two straight years following the release of their critically acclaimed debut, ‘Chasing Lights’, Ida Mae lived on the road, crisscrossing the US from coast to coast as they performed hundreds of dates with everyone from Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss to Marcus King and Greta Van Fleet. And while those shows were certainly formative for the electrifying British duo, it was what happened in between, the countless hours spent driving through small towns and big cities, past sprawling suburbs and forgotten ghost towns, across deserts and mountains and forests and prairies, that truly laid the groundwork for the bands transportive new album, ‘Click Click Domino’.
Written primarily in the backseat of a moving car, ‘Click Click Domino’ embodies all the momentum and possibility of the great American unknown, but it’s more than a simple road record. In fact, Turpin and Jean rarely reference their own travels in any explicit terms here. Instead, the duo offers up a series of cinematic vignettes drawn from the world outside their window, a collection of intimate, empathetic snapshots full of hope and disappointment, promise and regret, connection and loneliness. The songs on ‘Click Click Domino’ are raw and direct, fuelled by an innovative mix of vintage instruments and modern electronics, and the performances are loose and exhilarating to match, drawing on Delta blues, classic country, British folk, and 50’s soul to forge a sound thats equal parts Alan Lomax field recording and 21st Century garage band. Turpin and Jean produced the album themselves, recording primarily on their own in their adopted hometown of Nashville during the COVID-19 pandemic, and while the collection is certainly bolstered by appearances from high profile guests like Marcus King, Greta Van Fleet’s Jake Kiszka, and Ethan Johns, the heart and soul of the record remains Ida Mae’s intoxicating chemistry, which has never felt more vibrant, ambitious, or self-assured.
Ida Mae have always managed to follow their own compass. And as ‘Click Click Domino’ proves, the best stories are often found off the beaten path.