India Electric Co – new album

IEC

Pigeon hole India Electric Co. at your peril. Packing a punch, Cole Stacey and Joseph O’Keefe – the acoustic duo with the electric name – are the musicians behind one of the most exciting and diverting debut releases this spring.

“Folk teleported to the future” is how BBC 6 presenter Tom Robinson has described their bold and refreshing eclectic sound while testament to the esteem in which this young duo are already held comes from no less than Midge Ure who has chosen them to accompany and support him on an extensive UK and European 2015 tour. He says: “The wide range of musical textures they create immediately stood out.” The tour includes a date at London’s Union Chapel on October 23.

Ingenious singer songwriters, musicians and coffee connoisseurs, Cole (25) and Joe (23) have spent a year writing and recording the 10-track The Girl I Left Behind Me. Reflecting their shuttle life style on both sides of the English channel (they lived in France for a time), this is a heady concoction brewed in Devonshire barns and stirred in Parisian cafes.

With an intriguing and atmospheric mono cover image of people crossing a bridge in India, The Girl I Left Behind Me is a fusion of styles, intricately woven textures, lush string arrangements and broad brushstrokes. Says Cole: “It draws on a theme of transience, exploring non places with a sense of not belonging and the highs and lows of being on the fringes of society.”

Sometimes folk, sometimes not, the material is certainly inspired by roots themes from Eastern Europe to Africa, through to Latin America. Gregarious gypsy jazz sidles alongside the influence of lively Irish reels, fresh arrangements of 18th century sea shanties and beguiling self-penned songs of winsome emotion. Timeless, classy and life affirming this is something of a roller coaster ride as it dips and dives, lilts and flows with a nod to artists as diverse as The XX, Thomas Bartlett, Joanna Newsome and the Buena Vista Social Club and literary touchstones including Auden and Marvell.

Artists’ website: http://indiaelectricco.com

“Hypnotic melodies, syncopated rhythms and pop hooks immediately grab your attention. O’Keefe is a bewilderingly talented multi instrumentalist; Stacey has a rich young voice and a turn of phrase that gives the album its other key dimension” – 4* review Songlines Magazine

“Difficult to pigeonhole, the pair seem to be able to pull off just about anything that comes their way – you can’t help wondering where they’ll go next”- Acoustic Magazine

‘My Friends Are Rich’ (audio only):