Tara Clerkin Trio
Somewhere Good
World of Echo
The term “cult favourite” gets attached to plenty of bands, but in the case of Tara Clerkin Trio, it actually sticks. The UK group occupies that rare space in contemporary music where consistency of output never comes at the cost of genuine experimentation and surprise. Every new TCT release prompts a collective sigh of relief—for waking life, for the psycho-sonic landscape at large—that gets tangled up with the anticipation of wondering what hallucinatory trick the band will pull out of their hat next.
The magical-realist groove that has always sat at the center of the trio’s sound also anchors Somewhere New, their first full-length for World of Echo, following the one-two punch of their earlier In Spring and On the Turning Ground EPs for the label. The album drifts along at the easy-going pace of the band’s signature jazz-hop rhythms as a kaleidoscopic series of new textural portals also opens up along the way.
The tinny synthetic beats on “Movin’ On” recall the naïve charm of early Fruity Loops-era experimentation (artfully frayed edges have always been a part of the band’s appeal). Elsewhere, vocal loops rotating somewhere in the stratosphere of Leyland Kirby and Philip Jeck drift into the mix on “Silently” and “Ups and Downs,” pushing the music deeper into some poetic liminal zone. “Slow Island” bends the band’s already loose collaborative framework, showcasing a rare vocal duet that only enhances Tara Clerkin’s simultaneously cool-headed and achingly tender songwriting and delivery.
The group’s gift lies in making every strange production choice or leftfield texture simply another welcoming doorway into the songs themselves. Like all Tara Clerkin Trio records, Somewhere New thrives on a kind of “how are they pulling this off?” atmosphere that invites sinking into pleasantly unresolved contemplation. It’s psychedelically immersive. It’s invitingly avant-garde. It’s low-lit music for uncertain states of mind. It’s all of those things and more, without trying to be anything at all. It’s a strong contender for album of the summer as these songs stain the sky an ever-deeper shade of Tara Clerkin gold with each subsequent rotation.
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