Keeping Your Feet Dry, with The Lost Trades

New single from The Lost Trades, due out on those streaming sites next Friday, 9^th September, but our lovable folk trio decided as it’s the celebratory “Bandcamp Friday,” they’d get it on there early….and I thought I’d get a breather today!

Is this a conspiracy? Is there a secret WhatsApp group where local musicians gang up on me and decide to all release their new material in the same week?! So much new music being pushed my way, I love it, but repetitive strain injury of the typing digits, people, think about that for a second! This, though, is more than worth mentioning.

I’ve been listening to it for a few weeks, holding my breath from mentioning it until next week, seems now I can exhale and tell you just how absolutely awesome this new single from The Lost Trades is. I even, at one point, had it playing in the car when nipping out for Derrick’s Deals at the Spar shop in Devizes, windows down, when I was struck with terror someone might overhear this exclusive early, and like the automatic blinds of the Lego ideas office, I fastened the gap!

Last time around, on All Fools Day, the tune was called Daffodils, and I dubbed it a “lost trades mark,” trying to be clever and play on words, but for the simple reason it summed up everything which was great about their debut album, The Bird, the Book and the Barrel, in one single, stating “this wonderful sunny side of the street tune is a neat little package tallying up the brilliance of the Trades.”

So where do we go from here? I’m going to big it up, you know that, because the trio haven’t yet disappointed, ever, and I’m therefore obviously going in with high expectations. But it had been one of those days, you know the sort, we all have them, and night was drawing near when I remembered I still had the single to listen to, and despite all said prospects, I just fell headlong into it, like tumbling into a blissful dream. It lifted me out of the swirling thoughts of that sort of day, it elevated me above cloud nine, and here’s why….

It’s the production this time around, yes Phil, Jamie and Tamsin’s, while Tamsin takes the lead vocal, least most predominate, voices are truly merged into one harmonious glory, the production of this single, a real step up. The entire mood surrounding it will engulf you, whether or not you’ve been following the progress of this exceptional trio or not. This is the way forward, it knocks spots off of anything which may’ve gone before in their building discography, and that, like Bananrama once said, is really saying something…. not that that’s a comparison, by the way!!

It needs no comparison other than with their own material, now, though it got me contemplating Roger McGuinn’s “Ballad of Easy Rider,” theme-wise, if rivers are a common metaphor in folk; the lyrics Dylan infamously gave to The Byrds, but declined credit in the film as he didn’t like its ending. But, I digress, with a “missing you” theme, Keep my Feet Dry is a boost in the right direction for the Trades, it drifts, a thing beauty, uplifting, with a chorus immediately sing-a-long. The guitar riff sooths, and every element fits together perfectly; wowzers, you only need bring your ears, and they will love you for it!

By the way, Jamie of the Lost Trades is at the Southgate, Devizes, Saturday, while Tamsin is playing the Barge on HoneyStreet; make your own mind up, I can’t help you with this dilemma!