London-based multi-instrumentalist virtuosoNatalie Evans is pleased to reveal her new AA side single featuring two brand new tracks, ‘To Go On’ and ‘Sun Song’, released on 9th March 2022 via Small Pond Records.
The two tracks are the first taste of a larger forthcoming body of work from Evans due to be released on Small Pond Records in summer 2022. The record will be the first new material following the physical reissue of her debut EP Houses in 2019.
Evans will be performing at this year’s ArcTanGent Festival 2022, with further live appearances TBA.
Commenting on the tracks, Evans says: “Sun Song is about a beach trip I took during the summer of 2020 when most places were still closed and I was staying at my parents’ house in Medway. With the pandemic happening I felt so in need of something new to do, so I drove to Whitstable beach and walked around listening to music. I went in the sea and recorded the waves which you can hear at the start of the song. I felt incredibly free that day.”
“When I was first putting songs together for the new release I had a lot of sad songs and I felt like an important part of me was missing from it. So I later added some songs to express that happy and fun side of myself. ‘To Go On’ is one of those songs. The song is about having time away from the outside world and hiding away for a bit, and then having lots of vivid daydreams that eventually make me miss everything and want to go back out again. It goes through the whole process of resting, then gradually starting to feel better until I’m really happy, refreshed and energised.”
Fusing a virtuosic talent on guitar, harp and piano with a distinctive playing style and finely tuned songwriting sensibilities, Kent-born Londoner Natalie Evans’ music glows with a rare self-contained grace, as she wraps her minimalist and deceptively simple lyrical lines in winning hooks and harmonies.
Evans has so far inspired comparisons with folk sensation and fellow harpist Joanna Newsom, while she reveals influence as a songwriter by artists such as Julien Baker, Moses Sumney, Peter Broderick and The Japanese House. She has played extensively in the UK including tours with Katie Malco, Bonniesongs and Gulfer, and alongside other established acts including Angelo De Augustine, AA Williams, Tricot, and Tera Melos.
Although she received no formal classical training, a fascination with classical music inspired Evans to learn piano and harp in recent years, her talent and studious approach leading her to achieve an exceptionally high standard. These instruments add to her mastery of the guitar, which began as a teen hobby and became something of an obsession when she discovered the finger-picking style that she has gone on to make her mainstay.
Evans’ 2018 debut album Better At Night saw her intricate compositions and characterful vocals reaching more ears than ever before, followed by her two track single ‘Pavements’ the following year. Whilst winning over new fans, the material was also met with excitement by early followers of her work, which also includes the aforementioned debut EP Houses, guest vocals on Delta Sleep’s ‘Camp Adventure’, and her split release with US star Yvette Young.
Better At Night received heavy support across BBC 6Music from Huw Stephens, Lauren Laverne, Guy Garvey, and Radcliffe & Maconie, to add to the likes of Nick Luscombe (Late Junction, BBC R3), BBC Introducing, John Kennedy (Radio X), and live sessions for Robert Elms (BBC London) and BBC Radio Kent.
Radio success was joined by a wealth of press, podcast and playlist support, leading to a widespread live touring schedule alongside names including Laucan, Tall Ships, Tera Melos, Delta Sleep, and Tangled Hair, with appearances at festivals including ArcTanGent.
As with previous material, her new songs continue to luxuriate in the vivid minutiae of life, channelling themes of nostalgia, the passing of time, and human connection with a poetic lightness of touch.
Further details of the new release will be revealed over the coming months.
Natalie Evans live dates:
17.08.22 – 20.08.22 – Bristol – ArcTanGent Festival