Prague-based straight-edge UK singer-songwriter Alasdair Bouch releases his new EP, ‘Desolation Peak’ on Bandcamp Friday, 2nd April.
‘The EP is my way of confronting and combatting the lockdown loneliness, anxiety and fear of the last twelve months,’ offers Alasdair. Despite the doom-laden title, he is eager to put a positive spin on the release. ‘There are few who remain untouched by the pandemic – it has challenged almost every aspect of our lives – but co-operation, compassion and consideration for others will help us pull through,’ he believes. ‘These songs are expressions of fellow-feeling and ultimately, triumph over adversity.’
The recent singles ‘Out Of My Mind’ & ‘Storm In A Coffee Cup’ (feat. Anna Beckerová)’ – recorded by Thom Artway – are paired with two ballads, culled from the sessions for Alasdair’s postponed fifth album. ‘In Your Arms’ (about a disintegrating relationship) and ‘This Much Is True’ (about living in London) – were written respectively ten & twenty years ago, but still resonate strongly with Alasdair: ‘I could have written those songs yesterday. They speak to me so clearly of the uncertainty and angst that many of us are feeling at the moment – how did we get this wrong, and how can we correct it?’ Both tracks took their present form in the hands of producer Jakub Steve Lenz (aka Robin Mood) back in 2015, when they were pegged for the ‘lost’ fifth album.
Alasdair continues: ‘Following a catalogue of delays and mini-disasters, Steve’s studio was robbed, and I feared the recordings were lost forever. Thankfully, he had backed them up on a hard drive, but by the time I got my hands on it, we were both busy with other projects, and the whole album was shelved.’ It is only thanks to the recent, unwelcome hiatus in the live sector that the tracks were resurrected under the keen ear of US producer Geoff Tyson, who took on remixing and mastering duties. Other guests on the EP include Thom Artway’s double-bassist Ondřej Jurásek and keyboard maestro Jirka Vidasov. It’s a local affair, featuring the crème of the Czech scene. The revamped, expanded fifth album is slated for a late summer release.
The ‘Desolation Peak’ EP is available to stream and download on April 4th 2021 exclusively at Bandcamp and later, on all your favourite outlets.
Listen to the song here.
