With the release of her highly-anticipated new remix EP ‘ Already, Rearranged’arriving on September 16th through Lucy Rose’s Real Kind Records, the follow-up to her critically-praised studio album ‘Already, Always‘, which was featured in The Independent’s 40 Best Albums Of 2021 and METRO’s Top 50 Albums Of The Year, as well as BBC 6Music crowning it Album Of The Day on release and playlisting the singles ‘Co-op‘, ‘All You Can Do‘, and ‘How Do You Leave‘, Bess Atwell has now unveiled the latest cut from her forthcoming collection, the Billie Marten x Ellie Mason re-edit of ‘How Do You Leave’.
Following on from the Igor Haefeli (Daughter) re-edit of ‘Time Comes In Roses’, the Billie Marten x Ellie Mason re-edit of ‘How Do You Leave’ opts to completely reinvent the original piece. Chopping up the familiar song into broad and glitching snippets that highlight the tranquil piano-led groove underneath gives this new offering a brilliantly driven flow, and delivers one of the more adventurous additions on the upcoming EP.
Speaking about the new remix, Bess Atwell said, “I love how otherworldly and tasteful Billie and Ellie’s remix is. It’s constantly evolving and growing steadily so it creates this exciting tension but leaves you wanting more. The textures and sounds are so pleasing on the ear, almost ASMR-worthy. It feels modern but with lots of analogue sounds, crackling etc. The added chords really help to bring it into its own world.”
While Billie Marten added, “This being my first remix attempt, I teamed up with Voka Gentle’s Ellie Mason – who’s a stunning artist in her own right – and I think we made something really special. Pulling vocals and textures out, twisting the whole sonic scape around, and subverting those classically overdone remix tropes was a real joy. We wanted the feeling to build with this sort of underground jazz-inspired progression, eventually unravelling into a sea of relief and melancholia. We wish Bess all the best for her upcoming EP.”
Featuring revised works from the likes of Billie Marten x Ellie Mason, Tony Njoku, Liz Lawrence, Chartreuse, and even Bess herself on a new rendition of ‘Red Light Heaven’, ‘Already, Rearranged’ looks to bring a more diverse and broadened light to her highly-praised studio album.
Adding about the conception about the EP, Bess Atwell said, “When we decided to do a remix EP I never imagined we’d create something I’m so proud of and excited to share. I’m a fan of every artist involved in this project and I wanted them to have total creative freedom and to showcase their own perspectives on the songs. Considering I gave them no brief at all, I’m all the more proud of what we created and the tracks as a cohesive body of work.”
Earlier this year Bess featured as one of the artists selected by BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq to perform as part of Independent Venues Week (other artists selected included Yard Act, Wet Leg, Franz Ferdinand), as well as performing two live stripped back tracks and an interview on his show.
After completing an extensive UK headline tour from November through February in support of the record, and supported Midlake, Bears Den and Noah Gundersen on their recent tours, Bess has had a busy run of festival dates this year including Latitude, Cambridge Folk Festival, Deershed, Womad and lots more to come including this summer:
19th August – Green Man
26th August – All Points East
2nd September – Moseley Folk
3rd September – Manchester Psych
Featuring the singles ‘Co-op‘, ‘All You Can Do‘, ‘Nobody‘, ‘Time Comes In Roses‘ and ‘Red Light Heaven Already, Always‘was released in September 2021. While on the surface some would see it as a break-up record, the album itself is more about the deeper relationships that many of us experience throughout our lives, and how brittle and disconnected they can become over time.
A release that focuses on loss, love, life, and death, Bess Atwell has taken the opportunity behind this album to create something that not only reflects who she is upon us, but also allows us to see ourselves in her.
There is comfort in the familiar. Yet it is precisely when we are most comfortable that we begin to ask questions. Artist Bess Atwell is full of questions: on life, death, love, loss… and how things that at first seem mundane become profound when looked at in a different light.
On her sensational album, ‘Already, Always’, Atwell offers one of the most assured records by a British artist in years. Released via Lucy Rose’s Communion imprint Real Kind Records, it focuses heavily on Atwell’s own experiences yet has a universal appeal – demonstrated already by the support from the BBC’s 6music, and millions of streams of Atwell’s earlier, self released, singles. “What I really care about is people listening to this album and saying, ‘God, I feel like I know her,'” the Brighton-based artist explains. “I wanted to illustrate, not just the romance in relationships, but that bit that comes afterwards.”