Tarren
Outside Time
(Many a Thousand Records)

FOLLOWING their debut album Revel, this new album by folk trio Tarren establishes them further as a new and exciting act on the folk scene with their own unique sound.

Consisting of Sid Goldsmith on cittern and concertina, Alex Garden on fiddle, and Danny Pedlar on accordion the album has a combination of instrumental and vocal tracks and explores themes of togetherness and community. 

Written by Pedlar, the single from the album Sunk links traditional folk themes with modern issues emphasising a need for human connection and a return to one’s roots. There are also good versions of traditional songs like Spencer the Rover and Jolly Bold Robber with its theme of warning against excess and greed that could be relevant to today.

However, with the band consisting of a non-binary member, one of the themes they wanted to explore was gender variance in traditional folk song. Awarded a grant by the English Folk Dance and Song Society the trio were able to explore traditional songs that featured elements of cross-dressing and gender non-conformity, although usually such songs often involve a woman disguising herself as a soldier or a sailor and end up with the subject settling down into conventional marriage after her identity has been revealed and she finds her true male love.

Bearing this in mind the song Neither Maid nor Man is a coming together of three traditional songs: The Handsome Cabin Boy, Bold William Taylor, and Pretty Drummer Boy but with a new end verse by Alex Garden which brings it up to date for modern audiences with a refrain of “Some say I'm a freak but others say I'm free.”

On tour September 17-October 26. For more information see: tarrenmusic.com