Tadpoles

What if the remedy for the current turmoil plaguing our ailing societies were a folk album like they don't make anymore—one that's as fascinating as it is elegant? Two years after Waiting for The Piano To Fall, Nick Wheeldon is back, accompanied by The Living Paintings, to deliver a new chapter in his discography: Tadpoles. In this album, as sunny as it is moving, the collective energy of the band radiates through the compositions of the British songwriter whose talent knows no bounds. Introspective and deeply humanistic, Nick Wheeldon combines melancholy and optimism here, navigating between hope and nostalgia. After more than a year of recording silence, it took the band no more than seven days to record these nine new tracks. Recorded entirely on analog, featuring a brass section that gives center stage to the saxophone and violin, along with a healthy dose of improvisation, Tadpoles is a reflection of its creator: a breath of fresh air in an increasingly anxiety-inducing world saturated with artifacts that mock authenticity—here, authenticity is rediscovered. Having arrived in Paris a dozen years ago, this artist—who long made his mark with his voice and guitar in Sheffield—has never done things by halves. From the dreamy pragmatism of "You Can't Have It All" to the unstoppable groove of "Summer Prey," a whole sensitive world slips into our ears, never to leave. This album could thus be the story of a tadpole that has finally become a frog, but that would be to misunderstand Nick Wheeldon, and we look forward to savoring once again such a powerful revelation of his exceptional talent.

For fans of Alex Chilton, Big Star and Tom Verlaine