Anglo-Scottish folk ensemble Far Flung Collective return with their long-awaited third album, To A Sea Cliff (Far Flung Records FFC003), on 23 February 2024. An intriguing mix of musical styles and influences, the album contains 14 brand new tracks penned by various members of the band.

Bringing together a diverse bunch of acclaimed and emerging musicians from distant corners of the British Isles, Far Flung Collective was originally formed in 2015 as part of a collaborative music education project between English SoundStorm Music Education Agency and the Scottish University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), exploring longstanding British cultural diversity and common environmental challenges. The project linked musicians from southern England with peers based in the Gaelic Outer Hebrides. As often comes of such endeavours, the education work soon led to a full artistic collaboration, ultimately spawning debut album Far Flung Corners (2017), described as ‘gorgeous and delightful… a beautiful collaboration’ in a glowing **** Songlines review. Follow up, Black Bay (2020), based on the same process, received a Bright Young Folk ‘CD of the week’ gong as well as airtime on BBC R2’s The Folk Show amongst others.

Now comes To A Sea Cliff, which sees longstanding core quartet of acclaimed folk troubador Alex Roberts (vocals / guitar), trad fiddler/composer Anna-Wendy Stevenson (fiddle/whistle), multi-instrumentalist/jazzer Dan Somogyi (piano/guitar/bass/others) and rising vocal star Mabel Duncan (vocals/guitar/fiddle) joined by 17 new players and narrators across the fourteen tracks.

The album was born in extraordinary circumstances. Originally intended to follow the previous methodology of a short-burst creative residency, the onset of international covid lockdowns in 2020, and the prevention of in-person meetings, meant a completely new plan was needed. To A Sea Cliff was created almost entirely online, ideas batted back and forth between different band members over some two years.

The recording sees drums, samples and programming used by Far Flung Collective for the first time, partly out of necessity to enable in-time recording to be achieved across the digital ether. “We liked what we heard and the diversity of musical styles that the extraordinary covid situation encouraged” says founder member Dan Somogyi. “Because we had more time, we were able to experiment more, too.” Indeed, rock, classical and jazz influences can be heard alongside the more trademark Far Flung folk sound. The result is certainly the most varied album the band has yet produced.

The 14 tracks divide thematically. First section, The South, comprising seven tunes, was inspired by the landscapes of Southern England, for which Arts Council England granted funding. It opens with Durdle Door, a wonderfully atmospheric guitar-centered piece, inspired by one of Dorset’s most iconic landmarks, and over the course of the seven tracks features Thomas Hardy poetry, an homage to the Jurassic Coast, prog-rock, jazz influences, and some striking folk instrumentals. The section concludes with Daniel Gaultier’s neo-classical The Cliffs of Dorset, full of dramatic strings and anthemic organ.

Next comes two tracks influenced by common concerns across England and Scotland, Between the South and the North. Waves reflects the influence coastline has on life north and south. Taghadh Fiodh / The Lives of Three Wattles revisits the spirit of Far Flung’s first album, with traditional English and Gaelic poems recited over a delicate, Scottish-trad folk setting.

The album then moves to The North, with six, newly composed Scottish-centered tunes across four tracks. It begins with Anna-Wendy’s jaunty, uplifting Nuala Iona’s Jig / Trip to Loch Skipport, and concludes with the poppy Glow, a ballad written by Mabel Duncan, which evokes the spirit of great Scottish pop anthems of the 1980s.

A final bonus tune, the 9-minute opus Avian Migrations (Dub of the Little Tern), takes the album into world music / free jazz territory, a trippy, reggae and Afrobeat reworking of Anna-Wendy Stevenson’s Reel: Stearnan Beag from debut album Far Flung Corners.  The track features African jazz specialists Thokozile Collective, and was the first lockdown track to be produced. “Live the track always took on a much heavier feel”, recalls Dan Somogyi. “With time on my hands in lockdown, I thought I’d have a mess round with it in the studio. This is what emerged.”

The album took a much more leisurely pace than its predecessors. “We bounced ideas and recordings around, brought in musicians wherever we could get them locally, and refined ideas more than we would ever have time to do in normal circumstances. Out of adversity, new tunes emerged and the resultant album is something we’re very proud of.”

The band hopes to tour to support the new album release in 2024. Contact farflungcollective@virginmedia.com or dans@ntlworld.com for more info.

Glow will be released as a taster for the album on Friday 9 Feb 2023

To A Sea Cliff, the full album, is released on 23 February 2024 on CD and all major streaming platforms.

Available to download and stream from all major online platforms

Available on CD from Birnam CD and Amazon