The pair’s first meeting with Frith came during the recording sessions for their
Ivor Novello-nominated debut album,
Islands, in 2014. He would later go on to arrange the brass for the duo’s next three albums prior to
Fragments.
During the time when band members
Andrew Davie and
Kevin Jones were recording for their third album
So That You Might Hear Me, they talked to Frith about potentially re-imagining some of their songs using strings and piano. And thus,
Fragments was born: 12 tracks from the band’s back catalogue reworked and rearranged with the help of some of London’s top string musicians, which was mastered by Abbey Road’s
Christian Wright, who has previously worked with the band on
Islands (2014) and
Red Earth & Pouring Rain (2016).
Talking about the new project,
American Songwriter wrote: "
Frith brings out moods and tones to
Davie’s voice that longtime fans will be enchanted by — whether it’s adding a crispness to
Isaac or enhancing the drama of
When You Break".
Watch a live performance of the band's track
Auld Wives at London's EartH venue in 2018, as well as a discussion with both Frith and the band about the new record below.
