FOR those who favour a swashbuckling approach to roots music, North Carolina’s duly deliver on ), out in late July. Recorded at LA’s Sunset make good on 2022’s AMA-nominated with the ambitious . The album includes guest spots from singer-songwriter Maggie Antone, fiddler Philip Bowen and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Expect upbeat country tunes, sorrowful ballads and semi-orchestral delights. “We love the string arrangements from those great country acts of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s,” explains lead singer and guitarist Isaac Gibson. “We wanted to explore every possible sound we could on this record.” Closer to home, Bristol-based prepares fourth effort in early August. Bailey pared down over three dozen tracks and a Nashville writing trip into a final 10-song selection that deals with perceptions of her role as a performer. “All these hidden things that you try to keep down and put in their place,” she says. “It’s the chaos beneath what everyone else sees.”
