Smoke Fairies release their eagerly-awaited sixth album 'Carried In Sound'

LISTEN TO ‘CARRIED IN SOUND’ HERE

"the entirely home-recorded Carried In Sound might be the most spectacular yet." - UNCUT 8/10

"a Stevie Nicks goth-folk tone with bonus Judy Collins high notes." MOJO ****

"it's as gripping as anything by this remarkable band." METRO ****

"A luscious and potent collection of songs that will be just the thing to accompany winter evenings spent indoors" - THE ARTS DESK **** 'Disc of the Day' 13/11

"Gothic Blues For The Netflix Generation" - SHINDIG MAGAZINE

"As alluring as the music is, the superb, melodic voices of Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies sanctify Carried in Sound as a brilliant work of art." XS NOIZE ****

"it’s easily the best thing that the Smoke Fairies have ever done" - FOLK RADIO

"They make a magical folk music that flickers like a votive candle" - FOLKING

Following on from the release of their highly-praised singles “Vanishing Line” and “Seek It With Me” in recent months, alt-folk duo Smoke Fairies have now released their hotly-tipped new studio album ‘Carried In Sound’ alongside the record’s vibrant title-track.

Marking their sixth full-length release to date, ‘Carried In Sound’ sees Smoke Fairies in one of their most confident and immersive guises yet. Creating a beautifully alluring presence across its eleven-track runtime, their newest outing heralds the next compelling era for the pair, brimming with bright and tantalising tones throughout.

Led by the record’s newly unveiled title-track, this new offering highlights the more emotive nature threaded amongst their newest collection.

Adding about the single “Carried In Sound”, they said, "This song is a reckoning with the past and explores how much you really change and who gets hurt in the process. It asks if we ever really see ourselves in the way we've been seen by others. Time is coming to find all of us but will its passing herald a retrospection or a rebirth?”

To celebrate the release of ‘Carried In Sound’, Smoke Fairies will also embark on an intimate five-date tour across the UK taking in spectacular churches and ruins, as well as a short run of live in-store appearances as well. See below for the full list of confirmed dates and find more information HERE.

Smoke Fairies UK Tour Dates:

21st Nov - Portsmouth, Square Tower [Sold Out]

22nd Nov - Nottingham, Metronome

23rd Nov - London, St Matthias Church [Sold Out]

24th Nov - Leeds, Hyde Park Book Club [Sold Out]

25th Nov - Manchester, St. Michael’s [Sold Out]

In-Store Appearances:

19th Nov - Southampton, Vinilo 1pm

19th Nov - Portsmouth, Pie & Vinyl 5pm

15th Dec - London, Rough Trade East 7pm

Smoke Fairies’ sixth studio album ‘Carried In Sound’ will follow on from their highly-praised 2020 LP ‘Darkness Brings Wonders Home’, which was applauded by the likes of Mojo, Clash Magazine, Q and many more.

Smoke Fairies is a project founded on friendship. Katherine Blamire and Jessica Davies have known one another since they were kids, forming a band to escape the humdrum of high school. Over time, it’s become the one true constant in their lives – moments of joy or sadness may pass, but there’s a permanency to Smoke Fairies, and what it adds to their soul. On new album ‘Carried In Sound’ the duo prove themselves to be utterly self-reliant, moving through a pandemic, home recording, and true independence to forge something completely faithful to their ambitions.

Recorded in a terrace house with the volume dialled down to protect the neighbours, the results have a curiously intimate, hushed appeal. A record that feels remarkably self-contained, ‘Carried In Sound’ is truly special, marked by audio invention, and a desire to speak nothing but the truth. A break from their former work, the album carries a very unique form of magic.

“It wasn’t particularly odd for us to make a record in isolation,” Katherine notes. “But we had so much personal stuff going on – losing family members, for example. We wanted to explore themes of grief and loss in a way we hadn’t done previously. We tried to be very raw.”

It's a record marked by their incredible experiences. Two kids who made their way to New Orleans to uncover the blues, Smoke Fairies became the first UK band to sign with Jack White’s Third Man imprint, later recording with the man himself. Releasing two hugely successful albums on the mighty V2 Records, they’ve sold out countless UK tours in the process. Now working on a completely independent basis, fans were kept in the loop through the process of recording this album via their Patreon subscription page – it’s a true community. “Our journey through music has really been this rollercoaster, with all sorts of ups and downs,” says Jessica. “But we’ve settled on something now which is balanced and positive – we do everything on our own terms. It feels incredibly empowering to be able to say that.”

Limitation became a means of invention. Digging a jumble sale keyboard back out of the cupboard, Smoke Fairies would use whatever came to hand for ad hoc percussion – bin lids, old suitcases, and a broken snare drum borrowed from their nine-year-old neighbour. “I love the sound of things that are broken,” Katherine says. “We didn’t make it easy for ourselves… but we wanted it to be unique.”

Blurring the lines between autobiography and storytelling, ‘Carried In Sound’ is enriched by their own experiences. Written with specific spaces – and a specific audience – in mind, it will be accompanied by an intimate UK tour, frequently making use of church spaces. A complete aesthetic statement, it often moves like a perfume – scarcely perceptive in its subtlety yet conjuring profound memories. “Music is a spiritual place – it’s a place of shelter,” Katherine affirms. “There's something about the process of being quieter that can be a bit more considered.”

Moving away from their past, ‘Carried In Sound’ embodies something timeless. Forged through friendship, it’s a series of happy accidents, radiating a joyful sadness. “Everything happens for a reason,” Jessica notes.. “But equally, everything is a reaction.”

“We’ve done this record completely on our own, and this feels important,” Katherine says. “It proves that we’re enough.”

Album track listing

Vague Ideas

Vanishing Line

Carried In Sound

There Was A Hope

Seek It With Me

Sticks and Stones

Part Of It All

2002

Perseus

Come To My Mind

Seek It With Me (instrumental)

DISCOVER SMOKE FAIRIES

lorraine longNovember 17, 2023