TRUST FUND

Description: RELEASED ON 1.11.2024 ON TAPETE VIA SHELLSHOCK CATALOGUE NUMBER TR581LPTrust Fund, the musical project of singer-songwriter Ellis Jones, returns this year with a fifth album,Has It Been A While?, recorded earlier this year in Sheffield by producer and close friend JoeMackenzie Todd, and released 1st November on Tapete Records. Fans of Jones’ delicate, funny, relatable songwriting will know that yes, it has been a while. His lastalbum was released six years ago. The 2018 LP Bringing the Backline – which received praise fromPitchfork, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and more – coincided with Jones calling time on Trust Fund,as band members began their own families, and he moved to Norway (and then on to Canada) tobegin a career in academia. As he puts it: “I turned thirty, I moved away, and I thought, ‘I guess Idon’t do that anymore’”. His return reflects a realisation that his music-making days continue to stretch out before him, andmarks the development of a mature style that offers both continuity and change. While previousTrust Fund albums have foregrounded a fuzzy, indie-rock aesthetic, on Has It Been A While? Jonesstrips his songs down to classical guitar and vocals, supported by captivating string quartetarrangements provided by Maria Grig. Trust Fund’s lyrical dexterity remains, and is showcased hereon tracks such as The Mirror (a duet with Radiant Heart’s Celia MacDougall), whose vaingloriousprotagonist would gladly “use the mirror as TV”. For Jones, the key challenge of the record was creating something that felt both comfortable andchallenging: “I think it’s an ambitious record – but it’s quietly ambitious. I wanted to make some-thing that explored a specific aesthetic, but that might still be diverse and engaging across 35 minutes.Creating the string arrangements took me totally out of my comfort zone – I don’t read music – and I’mvery proud that I’ve produced something that was more or less what I had in mind. I have a lot moretime for good musicianship, when it’s applied well, and the idea of self-improvement.” Fans of seventies singer-songwriters, and in particular Nick Drake’s first two Joe Boyd-producedalbums, will find much to recommend here, while Belle and Sebastian’s early folk-inflected materialis another obvious touchstone. Elsewhere on the record, the title track itself evokes both the spiritand simplicity of Chet Baker’s “I Get Along Without You Very Well”. Has It Been A While? marks the culmination of Trust Fund’s return to activity, following the low-keyrelease of five single tracks across 2022 and 2023 – including ‘late nite skate’, which quickly becameone of Trust Fund’s most-streamed songs. This material was collected in the 2023 EP ‘It Is What It Is’,clearing the way for this album of twelve new songs. Trust Fund has made a return to live performancetoo, as a duo (Ellis Jones and Celia Macdougall), including a sold out show at London’s George Tavern,as well UK and European dates supporting Mitski in October 2023. They will be touring the UK andEurope in support of Has It Been A While? in late 2024 and into 2025. ++++++++++++ TracklistingA1. Leaving The Party EarlyA2. The MirrorA3. This LifeA4. CurtisA5. A Wooden MedalA6. Until NowB1. The HinterlandB2. In The AirB3. I Look For HimB4. New UniversityB5. Has It Been A WhileB6. One Calendar Year

Price: 30.99 GBP

Location: Stonehouse

End Time: 2025-01-18T12:04:17.000Z

Shipping Cost: 28.28 GBP