Four For A Boy

Following the release of her debut solo album Mox Nox last year, Four for a Boy is a four-track EP of songs co-written by Alison Eales and her long-term collaborator Garry Hoggan. Like its sister record Mox Nox, the EP was recorded and mixed by Paul Savage at Chem 19 studios, mastered by Reuben Taylor, and features artwork by Rhian Nicholas at The Passenger Press – but in a departure from the approach to the album, Four for a Boy keeps its arrangements sparse in order to showcase Hoggan’s gift for melody. The songs: The lead track is Minuet, a minimalist love song that pits its protagonists against zombies and nanobots and which is accompanied by a lyric video by magician Billy Reid. Rain Song, with its drip-drip-dripping ukulele and piano, captures the experience of suffering with depression, while the shining autoharp and accordion of The Earliest Blue expresses the hope of recovery. These are also accompanied by an animated lyric video. The EP closes with Play Along, a plaintive reimagining of the Carpenters’ Superstar. Alison is a long-standing member of the band Butcher Boy, playing piano, accordion and other keyboards as well as arranging for choir and brass. She is also a member of Glasgow Madrigirls and has collaborated with bands including The Color Waves (USA), The Very Most (USA), The Just Joans (Glasgow), Featherfin (Norway) and The Powdered Earth (UK). Her debut solo album Mox Nox was released on Fika Recordings in March 2023. “Blessed with a voice whose clear, bright tone evokes Kirsty MacColl, Alison Eales puts it to excellent use on this charming debut album” - Uncut [7/10] // “…her debut solo album Mox Nox (meaning “night, shortly”) is an opportunity to hear her light, pure voice in its own right across a variety of ravishing soundscapes, from the electronica-inflected indie folk of Rapunzel to the delicate chamber pop of Ever Forward” - The Scotsman [4/5]