Fast-rising folk-pop duo Memorial return with the glittering new single 'In The Arms Of December', out November 24th through Lucy Rose's Real Kind Records
PRAISE FOR MEMORIAL
“A brass-flecked heartbreaker that recalls Simon & Garfunkel and Sufjan Stevens”
SUNDAY TIMES CULTURE
“Each segment interlocks perfectly, enacting a moment of peace that feels much-needed at this point.” CLASH
“Real aural therapy… wonderful” – SIAN ELERI, BBC RADIO 1
“Fontaines DC like you’ve never heard them before, courtesy of a band called Memorial on this cover version… so Memorial, a two piece, made up of Jack and Ollie… we’ve played their stuff on PDP before but not this… come on that was PDP gold!” ANNIE MAC, BBC RADIO 1
“This is very beautiful…Kings of Convenience meets Simon and Garfunkel at their harmonious best.. Very beautiful… lush and gorgeous harmonies there” – CHRIS HAWKINS, BBC 6MUSIC
“This is called Latchkey and I really love it... Lovely to hear that kind of harmony coming back, I’ve always been a fan of that, it takes me back to the late 60s early 70s.” – ELTON JOHN, BEATS
“This really struck a chord with me… that sounds absolutely fantastic” – JOHN KENNEDY, RADIO X
After releasing a captivating array of singles throughout the year including ‘Latchkey’ - which has amassed over 2 million streams, featured on Spotify’s highly coveted ‘The Most Beautiful Songs in the World’ playlist and was recently nominated for Song of the Year at the AMA UK Awards, - as well as establishing themselves with their vibrant EP ‘Thinking In Circles’ in September which featured a cover of 'A Hero's Death', its accompanying video directed by Jake Dypka has recently been nominated for the UK's VMAs, fast-rising folk-pop duo Memorial are back once again to share their glittering new single ‘In The Arms Of December’ out November 24th through Lucy Rose’s Real Kind Records (Bess Atwell, Samatha Crain).
Channelling that warm and ethereal direction they have been cultivating for themselves throughout 2021, ‘In The Arms Of December’ showcases the full breadth and levity of their songwriting prowess to date. With its light and airy production, progressive direction, and the pair’s wonderfully warm vocals at the helm, they are creating some of their most awe-inspiring work to date on this new effort. It was recorded, mixed and produced by Tim Bidwell and co-produced by Lucy Rose.
Speaking about the new offering, they said, "In moments of high stress, grief or imbalance in day to day life, we noticed our affinity with ghosts, afterlife or at least the presence of some ethereal energy, is always heightened. Something that really excites us is finding dialogue and scenery in feelings that feel hard to describe. Trying to figure out the words in those moments where the focus is locked in the atmosphere, rather than in the tangible.
"This song was born out of one of those nights in mid-December, the festive season had truly kicked in but felt completely elsewhere. The TV was just background noise and sleep was a distant goal behind all anxious thoughts and the only solace was the company of a familiar spirit. We only had a verse for almost a year and it was a really cathartic process to return to a place of desperation, from a position of clarity and be able to leave that darkness behind respectfully.
"So what was originally a dissection of a small moment, turned into acceptance of loss and appreciation for personal growth."
While adding about the track’s new video, which was directed by James Hough, "The making of this video was exactly what we needed at exactly the right time. We’d just come back from a 2 week long tour, and then we found ourselves in the middle of the vast and beautiful Lake District, walking through the scenery with llamas. It was unbelievably therapeutic.
“We started the day after an early morning voyage, by getting to know our assigned llamas, Jack’s was called rocksteady and Ollie’s was called echo. The hardest thing was keeping them entertained, although it was the first time they’d ever been sung to, it wasn’t enough! They loved eating everything around them, you’ll see some of the bribes in the video.
“We wanted to avoid narrative and focus on simplicity. The team at ‘Alpacaly Ever After’ were incredible and Stevie was super helpful and was really the only reason the llamas managed to stay in shot, shaking a tin of food behind camera.
“Thank you so much to director James Hough for embracing the cold and the terrain to find the best shots!"
Memorial are folk-pop duo Jack and Ollie. Neither are in any great hurry, with their songwriting process originally found spent solo, several hundred miles apart in Brighton and Manchester. Voice memos zipped across the internet, all half thoughts and feelings seeking the other’s encouragement. It’s a career just a few songs deep, but already they’ve got Lucy batting for their side, supported US alt.country queen Courtney Marie Andrews, label mate Samatha Crain and Flyte to name a few, and bags of enthusiasm between them all suggesting that, just maybe they’re onto something here.
There’s lots still to come from Memorial, with a full-length record receiving its final touches and flourishes.
Catch Memorial live:
29th Nov – The Slaughtered Lamb, London
3rd Dec - Brighton Komedia Studio
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