Tanbark's New Self-Titled LP Drops Today

Today, Tanbark, comprised of Chloe Nelson and James Jannicelli, released their new self-titled LP "Heart-Shaped Locket." The nine-track set came at a time when the band finally felt at home in their adopted hometown of Brooklyn, New York. "We wanted to make an honest portrayal of our first few years in this massive city and grapple with the smallness of our constant search for an authentic voice and beauty underneath the hustle," Nelson has said of the album. "We smoothed the edges of our personal experiences and brought some warm country music tones, pedal steel and piano, to a project recorded in the middle of a harsh winter." The album rolls between fantasy, innocence and desire, sweetened by the pair's lush harmonies and Nelson's rich, ethereal vocal style.

"Where their debut had a strong feel of Neil Young-esque folk, all acoustic guitars and swirling pedal steel, Tanbark hits you straight away with a fuller sound on the piano-driven 'Promise To Send' and 'Châtelet,'" For Folk's Sake commented in their premiere of the album. "Those that fell for the sound of their debut will be seduced again by the likes of 'Worth The Charm' and 'Steal The Heart' but this album marks another step forward stylistically. Nelson's distinctive vocals float over rich arrangements put together with the aid of engineer and musician Sam Owens (Cass McCombs, Blonde Redhead)."

LISTEN TO TANBARK via SPOTIFY //SOUNDCLOUD

"Whilst Tanbark are a new name to me, it was the beautiful strummed opening of this track and Chloe Nelson's vocals that hooked me right in," said Folk Radio UK. "They have that timeless sound, one which sounds both vintage and original...We're looking forward to hearing more." Atwood Magazine said their sound "takes us back to a time of innocence and simplicity, where the world felt at once smaller and yet so full of possibility: When everything felt new and unexplored. Propelled by elegant piano work reminiscent of Joni Mitchell and Carole King." The band combines the fanciful with the literary in nuanced and imaginative songwriting; this is elegantly represented in their lead single "Châtelet," which premiered at The Bluegrass Situation and was featured at Rolling Stone Country last summer. The song gives a voice to Voltaire's lover, Madame du Châtelet, who is often treated as just a footnote, but who was a respected philosopher in her own right.

WATCH: "PROMISE TO SEND"

Tanbark began in 2011 as a long-distance songwriting collaboration between Chloe Nelson, who was studying art history in London, and James Jannicelli, a musician in Minneapolis. By 2012, they were both in the Twin Cities, where their country and folk-inspired songwriting and close vocal harmonies began to form the basis of their sound. In 2014, Tanbark headed to Los Angeles to team up in the studio with Trevor Welch. Their resulting debut, Write Soon, brought together the bareness of the duo's acoustic folk sound with a fuller, pedal-steel-and-Telecaster country sound.

After relocating to New York City later in 2014, Tanbark quickly found their place in the thriving Brooklyn music scene. The material for Tanbark started to come together, and in 2017, they enlisted engineer and musician Sam Owens to help bring it to life. The resulting nine songs explore themes of innocence and desire against a Laurel Canyon backdrop of pianos and guitars. Tanbark is available at iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp, and Google Play.

TOUR DATES:

6/6 - The Thing in the Spring - Peterborough, NH
6/7 - Sofar Sounds - Boston, Massachusetts
6/15 - The Pines - Mount Tremper, NY
8/1 - The Hotel Cafe - Los Angeles, CA
8/4 - Tiny Porch Concerts - Agoura Hills, CA
9/6 - Otis Mountain - Elizabethtown, NY