EXCLUSIVE: Ward Thomas Talk New Album ‘Invitation’
British country-pop duo Ward Thomas are back and sounding better than ever with their incredible fourth studio album ‘Invitation’. The record was largely finished during the enforced UK lockdown making for a truly homespun sound that allows for the twins to detour back to their roots driven sound that was evident throughout their record-making number 1 ‘Cartwheels’ record.
Here we chat exclusively to Ward Thomas to discuss the LP in more detail:
Your new album ‘Invitation’ is out now, how excited are you to be sharing this project?
We’re so excited to finally be releasing this into the world! It’s a particularly special album to us as it feels very homemade and authentic to us. So we hope people enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it!
This is your fourth studio LP, how do you feel your music has matured in that time?
We’ve learned a lot over the years from when we released our first album. We’ve been on many tours around the world both supporting artists and headlining. So our music has matured naturally over the years as have Catherine and I (Lizzy) individually.
A lot of this new record was created during lockdown, what was that experience like for you and how did it compare to the making of your previous releases?
It was a great experience for us. Both challenging and enjoyable. We learned new tricks in the musical technical world and we enjoyed working from home. Every project we’ve done before, we’ve recorded in different studios, in London, Nashville, and all over. Which is great and exciting and we love meeting new people. This one was a very unique creative experience.
Sonically you’re making a move back to your roots more so with this LP, was that always a conscious idea or did happen organically?
I think both. We both wanted to go back to our roots for this next chapter and we wanted to create music that mirrored our personalities a bit more. But in the writing room, the country roots came naturally.
This record is hugely personal to you two, but is there one song in particular on the tracklist that has more of a special place within your hearts?
There’s always a few songs on our albums that have a special place in our hearts. This one to name three it would be ‘Painted Legacy’, ‘If There Were Words’, and ‘Someday’. Although this may change in a month.
Due to a lack of touring opportunities ‘Invitation’ will be supported by a live-stream showcase, what can ticket holders expect from that show?
This is a first experience for many as it is for us. We’ve never done anything like this before. We’ll be singing songs from all our albums including a cover or two… People watching should expect a live performance with a few laughs, energy, some backstage moments and we’ve really wanted to put on a quality show for everyone, and with the venue being as amazing as it is we feel it’s gonna be a fun special evening.
How did you find the experience of performing live without an actual audience?
It was odd and we did miss a live audience. Very different! We’re looking forward to when people can come to shows again as it’s still not the same. However, it was still an enjoyable performance for us and the fact that we know people are watching from home is great! It was funny when we finished a song and there wasn’t anyone in the audience to clap… who knows how it went down haha.
Can we expect further global streams such as this one from you in the future at least until actual concerts return?
We haven’t planned another one as of yet as we hope to be going back on tour next year but if we’re still in this position we’ll do a live-stream again for sure.
With promo opportunities thin on the ground do you have any further innovate ideas in mind for this record?
We’re constantly coming up with different ideas for this album and getting on board with different opportunities of promo at this strange time.
How would you sum up the overall vibe of the new album to fans old and new?
We feel this album sonically leans towards a more mature ‘Cartwheels’ vibe. We’ve been influenced by many amazing artists like Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ album, and had fun playing around with new sounds that compliment the songs nicely. The overall message to this album is openness and self-reflection. We want people to feel uplifted by this album but also find some comfort within it.
Did you enjoy our exclusive interview with Ward Thomas? Let us know your thoughts across social media and in the comments below!
Feature photography credit: Sophia Burnell
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