03 March 2023 - 0 Comments
Proudly presenting The Loving Arms' debut album Dreaming Over You. Released today, Friday March 3rd on Ghost Records
This Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau quintet serve up a distinctly Antipodean take on alt-country-soul, and their audiences revel in it: they've played to adoring houses at Anthology Lounge, Freida Margolis and the Pumphouse, just to name a few. If 'Best Kept Secret' was a genre then The Loving Arms are that.
Most of the group (Mark Beesley, Bryan Shaw, Dominic Blaazer and Steven Shaw) were in Ghost Town – a collaboration between songwriters Jed Town (Features, Fetus Productions) and Mark Beesley, and the band produced a lauded album Sky is Falling in 2017. Following Town's departure, they added the talents of Catherine Townsend and regrouped as The Loving Arms.
When it came to recording Dreaming Over You, The Loving Arms weren't short of material, but producer producer Kerry Furlong of Red Trolley Studios was only interested in songs that bear repeat listens. He culled (and culled), and crafted the tracks that made the cut into a defiantly contemporary yet classic space, where lap steel harmonises with synth.
Working with Neil Finn as a live engineer taught Furlong something about the virtues of juggling perfection and spontaneity. Sometimes the wrong take is right, and vice versa.
And Furlong wasn’t interested on crafting a pastiche of Americana. He was about the songs. If they looked good naked, they could wear anything.
You can test his theory for yourself here:
Listen to Dreaming Over You on digital platforms
*Due to unforeseen circumstances, the vinyl version of Dreaming Over You has been delayed, but you can email [email protected] to pre-order your copy.
The Loving Arms Dreaming Over You release party
Sunday March 5th
Big Fan, 25 McDonald St
Morningside, Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau
Playing songs from their brand new debut album Dreaming Over You – plus a few surprises – the band promises an intimate, stirring evening of the unique country-soul balladry that’s been rousing Auckland audiences since before the pandemic.
Event details on Facebook
Find tickets at Under the Radar
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