Faith Elliot - Dryas LP (pastel pink vinyl)

Recorded during two week-long sessions in Perthshire at community space The Big Shed, Faith’s expansive and ambitious new album Dryas was made in close collaboration with longtime creative foil Robyn Dawson, who produced, engineered and arranged the record as well as contributed string parts. “Robyn and I have been collaborating for many years in a live setting, building a lot of shorthand and shared sensibilities,” says Faith “A few years back, when she mentioned pursuing engineering and production, I suggested we make an album together. As luck would have it, she was keen!”

Also featuring Signy Jakobsdottir on percussion, Susan Bear on synths and bass, trumpet by Ali Hendry, alto recorders by Pual Northcott and piano by Katarzyna Wiktorski, Dryas is a triumph of storytelling and world-building. Formed of everything from orchestral elements to electronic textures and found sounds, it’s full of musical landscapes as fascinating as the lyrical organisms that populate them. Taking its title from an arctic plant which thrived during periods of extreme cooling near the end of the last ice age (ancient history and archaeology are among Faith’s many passions), Dryas is a record about resilience, reassurance and sweet release. It feels almost like a kind of sonic menagerie, full of collected intellectual curio, emotions, memories, and strange animal and spirit creatures. Including at least one bear high on hallucinogenic honey. 

Available as a limited edition LP in pastel-pink vinyl, comes with an exclusive printed zine.