Calmer Shores

Bev Lee Harling returns with her first solo recording in almost a decade. Having won the hearts and musical minds of DJs across the board with her 2012 debut LP, Barefoot In Your Kitchen, which BBC 6 Music’s Gilles Peterson made his Album of the Week, this gifted singer, violinist and composer brings us the first single to be taken from her sophomore long-player.

Having swapped the busy streets of North London for the calmer shores of Hastings in Sussex to bring up her young family, it’s fair to say that Bev’s priorities might have changed somewhat over the past few years, but the music was never far away. Her new environment, and musical family (including multi-talented partner Frank Moon) added plenty of fresh inspiration to her recordings, and we’re very excited to share her new album, entitledLittle Anchor, with you this Autumn.

The album is in some senses a travelogue, a 9 year journey of a creative woman navigating the landscape of parenting. Each song is a snapshot taken at a different location in time, in a world where finding balance between creative freedom and motherhood is still a struggle. Between the unexpected joys of parenting, grapples with mental health and feelings of inadequacy, and fighting for every second of creative time while slowly accepting a life very different to the one that existed before, this unedited family album emerged bursting with quirky childhood memories, dark musings and celebrations of musical passion and legacy.

Persistent Dragonfly

Dirty Dragonfly was inspired by a very unconventional, and very brief, holiday encounter, as Bev explains:

“My first time away from being a mum, I travelled to see my sister in Spain and I had an outpouring of musical ideas while I was there. Total bliss – just me, a beat up old guitar, a lot of hand claps and a laptop. I went swimming in an outdoor pool and got stalked by a very beautiful, but very persistent dragonfly. Every time I swam a length, it would be waiting for me at the other end of the pool. I really enjoyed being able to take the time to interact with the nature that was around me… even if it was a bit creepy.”

The song perfectly evokes this brief yet significant meeting with the kind of tongue in cheek sense of humour we’ve come to expect from Bev, complete with aforementioned layered vocals, handclaps and fuzzy guitar work.

Enjoy this first dip into the always unpredictable, experimental and playful world of Bev Lee Harling.

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