We come bearing great news for fans of William Doyle – and, in particular, of his recent album, Great Spans of Muddy Time – he’s set to make an early return with a companion EP, Alternate Lands. Sticking with the avian theme for its cover art (which you can see above), it appears to be a true cousin to this past March’s delightful LP.
However, the title Alternate Lands is no accident, as Doyle explains: “Following the release of ‘Great Spans of Muddy Time’ in March, I’ve decided to release this new EP. The material on ‘Spans’ was largely left untouched in its crushed and saturated format, having been salvaged from cassette tapes after losing session files in a hard drive failure, whereas ‘Alternate Lands’ takes sketches first started on those same tapes and reimagines their potential.”
He also sees the batch of tracks as a natural bridge to his apparently already conceived next album, explaining, “Although these songs were crafted in the same time period as ‘Spans’, I’ve taken them in a direction that resonates with where my head is at currently, while also signposting to the way my sound is heading for the next album. Across the three original tracks here, the production is more full and direct than at any point in my career, favouring upfront vocals and solid rhythms as opposed to hazy atmospherics.”
As a first offering from the sure to be charming affair, he’s shared “The Unanswered Why”, a proper romp through a surreal, even fantastical, country side. Check it out below, and look out for Alternate Lands come November 26th.
