Home is the theme of new album by Sleaford folk duo Winter Wilson
All couples will have their differences of opinion, but how often will such differences lead to the composition of a new song, and then a whole album?
Local folk duo Dave Wilson and Kip Winter have very different backgrounds – his in a small Lincolnshire market town and hers in an itinerant forces family, living in four separate countries by the age of six.
Thus each had their own concept of “home”. When Dave said “Surely home is where you’re born and bred?” Kip’s reply, “I haven’t got one of them,” set him thinking.
The result of that thought is the title song of this new album from the Sleaford pairing and, as fans of this
prolific duo might expect, the theme is of loss and migration but ultimately of love.
But this is by no means a downbeat album. In twelve new songs, Winter Wilson once again share their
outlook on humanity and the world we live in as well as some parts of their own family histories.
The song themes are as varied as the musical styles, which range from “trad folk” to blues and Americana
via the perhaps more mainstream contemporary singer-songwriter.
And once again they also share not only their natural harmonies and great musicianship, but also the writing credits, with Kip contributing the final song – The Ballad of Little Mary, the story of her maternal
grandfather’s relationship with the child he adopted.
2023/24 has seen the pair return to Europe, Canada and New Zealand and also complete their third (and biggest yet) tour of Australia.
“We genuinely didn’t know if we’d ever get back to touring like we used to,” said Kip. “But it’s been amazing. It must be the best feeling in the world when an audience completely gets what you’re trying to convey and sings along.”
Dave continues: “I wasn’t sure I’d ever really get back to writing either. I’d done a few bits, but we’d been so busy and I just couldn’t seem to find a route in.”
Then came the “home” conversation, and the song followed close behind, but more songs were hard to come by, until Dave was asked to write for a lottery-funded community project on the subject of “collapse and renewal”.
“Three songs came really quickly, of which two (Where E’er the Winds Might Blow and Hitch Up the Wrecking Ball) are included on this album, and then it was like the shackles were off.” The songs came
thick and fast, and Home is the result. And so once again Winter Wilson are hitting the road in their trusty campervan Tallullah.
2025 will see them playing across the UK, Ireland and Germany, with possibly a third tour of Canada in the offing too.
Home is officially launched on January 2 2025. Pre-orders will soon be available on www.winterwilson.com and all major download and streaming sites.