Gently Tender to Release THIS WAS ONCE FIELDS, Tour UK and Ireland November

South London six-piece Gently Tender shared new track 'Staring At Fields' ahead of the release of their second studio album This Was Once Fields on Friday, October 16 via TODO Records.

With 'Staring At Fields', the band muse upon the power and beauty of the natural world, looking out at London's cityscape while meditating on the fields that the city's towering buildings were built on many years ago. Sam Fryer, the band's chief songwriter, shares: 'Staring at Fields was the first song of the whole album I started writing, but it was the last to be finished. It almost got lost along the way - I gave up on it pretty early on, but the rest of the band refused to let it go. Credit to them it finally fell into place just before we delivered the record. It's the song that captures the spirit of the walk that inspired the album the most.'

Gently Tender's second album This Was Once Fields was inspired by the walks frontman Sam Fryer would take through the green belt of North London, seeking escape from the chaos of the city in the great outdoors. The tumult of feelings that arose as he would walk through the fields and down into the city opened an immense wellspring of inspiration that would form the thesis of the album. So far, the band have shared a handful of tracks from the project, including the song that sparked this new direction, 'A Mound A Field', and the celebration of the freedom of the countryside in 'Wild In The Uplands'.

'The view of London from afar at nighttime was what really ignited a spark in me. I would reflect on my life and myself as I exist inside the city I've lived in for my entire life, that I've loved and fallen out of love with over again. The city does weigh on me heavily but it's not easy to leave a place you've loved forever,' shares Fryer.

'The songs that make up this project represent different chapters, memories, thoughts and reflections on the life I have lived in the city. How I've always managed to live here but never felt like I actually belong in such a loud and fast-paced, nerve-jangling environment. These walks have provided me with a universe of material that I can dive back into when I need to escape, and that's where this music was born.'

Following the release of This Was Once Fields, the band will hit the road this November for a headline tour of the UK and Ireland, starting at Nottingham's Bodega on November 2, and culminating at Bristol's The Louisianna on November 14. Tickets are on sale now and available from gentlytender.co.uk/tickets.

This Was Once Fields arrives as Gently Tender's first new music since 2023, their stirring indie rock sound built from lush harmonies and pastoral melodies, touching on elements of folk, punk and soul. In 2022, the band released their Matthew E White-produced debut album Take Hold Of Your Promise!, twelve songs of soulful, anthemic Americana that ushered in a new creative chapter for many of the band members who had played together since they were teenagers.

A collective effort since its very inception, Gently Tender opened its arms in the creation of this record to musicians Francesca Brierley (multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who also makes music as heka) and Evie Hilyer-Ziegler (current member of Cusk, whom Sam had also played alongside in folk group Broadside Hacks, brings flourishes of violin and flute), plus former Palma Violets members Sam Fryer, Pete Mayhew and Will Doyle, plus guitarist Adam Brown.

Tracklist

A Mound A Field

Everything Will Be Fine By Now

Don't Sleep

Go Get It!

City Of The Beast

10000 Steps From The Door

Staring At Fields

Wild In The Uplands

Ferme Park Ditty

This Was Once Fields

Tour Dates

November 2 – Nottingham, UK – Bodega

November 3 – Norwich, UK – Norwich Arts Centre

November 4 – Sheffield, UK – Sidney & Matilda

November 5 – Birmingham, UK – Hare & Hounds

November 6 – Dublin, Ireland – Whelan's (Upstairs)

November 8 – Glasgow, UK – The Rum Shack

November 9 – Newcastle, UK – The Cluny 2

November 11 – Leeds, UK – Brudenell Social Club

November 12 – Manchester, UK – YES (Pink Room)

November 13 – Winchester, UK – The Railway Inn

November 14 – Bristol, UK – The Louisianna