Perfect English Weather, The - Just Beyond The Lights

 

1. Pilgrimage

2. Paperback Reader

3. London-By-The-Sea

4. Caroline Of Brunswick Square

5. Margaret

6. Leonard

7. For An Angel

8. In The Light

9. Preston Street

10. Just For A Second There

 

‘Just Beyond The Lights’ is the new album by The Perfect English Weather who are Wendy and Simon, a husband and wife duo from the East Sussex coast of England. Their “beautiful, slightly melancholic pop” has often drawn comparisons to artists like The Sundays and 10,000 Maniacs.

 

The album title is taken from a lyric in the song ‘Preston Street’, which is sung from the point of view of somebody who drives the van for a band and always picks them up “just beyond the (traffic) lights”. The title also reflects on Wendy and Simon’s move away from the big, bad city of Brighton to the edge of the Sussex Cuckmere Valley; and perhaps is a small nod to their commercial appeal being just a little outside the mainstream.

 

A recurring theme on the record is an enduring relationship with place. Opening track ‘Pilgrimage’ was inspired by the melancholy feeling of visiting a location that is associated with an icon and then wondering how they might have felt about the tourist industry that has sprung up around that place. It could be the John Lennon peace memorial in Central Park, Alan Turing’s office at Hut 8, Bletchley Park, or a walk across the Yorkshire moors after reading a Bronte novel. ‘Paperback Reader’ takes place on a favourite park bench, where the protagonist escapes during the working day for a little longer than they really should. There is also a trio of songs set in Wendy and Simon’s old hometown of Brighton, including singles ‘Caroline of Brunswick Square’ and ‘London-by-the- Sea’ plus the aforementioned ‘Preston Street’. Bletchley Park also finds a place in the song ‘Margaret’, whose story is based on the women who worked in the code breaking teams in WW2. Their contributions are a stark reminder of how diversity in the workplace was accepted when it was desperately needed, but once the war ended those brilliant women were largely silenced and their skills underused.

 

The album aims for a natural musical feel with acoustically recorded piano, viola, drums and guitars across most tracks. It was recorded at Church Road Studios in Hove, with contributions from talented local musicians.