Kate Ellis announces Limited Edition 'Spirals' LP with bonus track due March 3rd
Kate Ellis released her second album ‘Spirals’ in early 2022 to universal acclaim. A record blessed with lyrical depth that feels deeply personal but ultimately is universally accessible. You’d think ‘Spirals’ would be all melancholy moodiness, but Kate mixes things up, even finding room for a dalliance with county rock and a dash of country pop amongst the piano balladry and pedal steel textures. On March 3rd, ‘Spirals’ will receive a Limited Edition Numbered vinyl release with a bonus track from the album sessions ‘Hurt’, the Trent Reznor song immortalized by Johnny Cash. More about Kate Ellis, the album and an upcoming vinyl launch show at London’s Green Note follows:
A limited edition of 300 hand-numbered vinyls of Kate Ellis's critically acclaimed sophomore album 'Spirals’ will be released on March 3, 2023 on River Rose Records, one year after its original launch. The album, which showcases the Louisiana-born singer-songwriter's melancholic Americana/Folk style and fearless soul-searching, will be distributed in the UK and ten other EU territories by Continental Record Services.
VINYL LAUNCH SHOW - GREEN NOTE, LONDON - MON 27TH FEBRUARY
‘Spirals’ is the record that allowed Kate to take the whirlwind in her head and put it to song and has been streamed on online platforms over 700,000 times since release. The album received high praise from reviewers, with W21 Music saying that "Musically and lyrically this is sharp, brilliant, faultless songwriting that stops you in your tracks”, while Maverick Magazine gave it 8/10 and heralded Ellis as “A songwriter who is deeply in touch with her emotions and has a way of perfectly capturing them in her music.” Spirals’ was also named as Album of the Year by a number of independent radio DJs and listed among the Top 40 Americana Albums of the Year
“The physical properties of a vinyl record as an object have always been very important to me. My dad’s collection really influenced me musically growing up and shaped the music I love and write. I’ve got some cherished records of his and I love that they are old and were loved by him. A lot of people have asked me about ‘Spirals’ on vinyl so I’m thrilled that it’s now available”
While recording ‘Hurt’ and the other songs on ‘Spirals’, Kate Ellis and John Reynolds connected strongly over a desire to capture the emotional truth in the music. “One of the things I love about John Reynolds’ production on ‘Hurt’ is how he really brings out the feeling of redemption”, Kate says. “The angelic, choral harmonies of Pauline Scanlon and the gorgeous, driving, layered cello arrangement by Caroline Dale create a feeling of looking up to the heavens for help, surrendering to this feeling of pain and in doing so finding a kind of solace.”
Kate adds: “‘Hurt’ is a pure, bare, elemental outpouring of human suffering so simply and beautifully conveyed. The melody works in complete harmony with the lyrics to bring the listener down to the song's base level of despair.” According to Kate the song fits perfectly as a bonus track on a record that is about finding a new understanding of ways to cope with the demons and dramas that can take over our minds. “In ‘Hurt’ there is a strength that comes out of this voice of despair, like someone who has reached rock bottom, and in doing so has found the strength to get through and possibly, with the last line, find another way to live.”
The music video for ‘Hurt’ is as beautiful and atmospheric as the recording and was made by Benny Trickett, who has worked with legends like Pink Floyd, Kings of Leon and Beyoncé, and Gabi Norland, who has filmed artists such as Kate Tempest, Suede and Dexy’s Midnight Runners. The video was shot in London’s magnificent Asylum Chapel, a Grade II listed building with a combination of crumbling beauty and ethereal grace, perfectly mirroring the song's theme of earthly decay and spiritual hope.
A selection of new musical offerings to accompany a relaxed Sunday.