After exploding back on the scene with their stunning singles “Lost On Your Time”, “My Whispers Are Wildfire”, “Thunder Above You” and “Wild Flying Dove” in recent months, British duo Ida Mae now release their long-awaited new studio album Thunder Above You, alongside its swaggering, riff-laden focus track “American Cars”. The album is currently available to order / stream here.
Chris Turpin and Stephanie Jean of Ida Mae reflect on the collaborative process behind the album’s creation: "We convinced our closest musical collaborators (Ethan Johns; Drums, Nick Pini; Bass) to join us in Norfolk, explaining that we wanted to build a makeshift studio in the entrance hall of an Arts & Crafts era Mansion House and self-produce our new record in 7 days. Thankfully they agreed to sail with us into these uncharted waters...no one knowing what would happen.
“Thunder Above You” is the collection of songs we wrote before we became parents. These songs are vignettes, some of the last burning images we have of our lives on the road, driving through deserts and mountains ranges, following in the footsteps of the musical dream we'd had when we were 15 years old.
"They are songs from the perspective of an avaricious lover, from the haze of derealisation and fake news, hymnals, algorithms, trash, they are lost space between cities, spirituals, they are clippings of British folk songs, arguments in prohibition bars, forgotten moments of border ballads, 4am mania, crippling doubt, crying in hotel elevators, what you want to leave behind, they're standing outside 4339 South Lake Park Avenue in the rain, they're messy, improvised echoes in the alleyway, left exactly as they were cut live.”
Guitar World proclaimed of the opening track “My Whispers Are Wildfire”, “There’s a little bit of Tom Waits’ guitarist Marc Ribot to be heard in Chris Turpin’s animalistic playing here… the British roots player seems to use his six-string to summon a sort of grunting, shuffling beast – the solo sounds less like something let off the leash and more like a sort of choked spirit howling and straining to escape.”
Thunder Above You was inspired by the dramatic landscapes the duo witnessed while traversing 46 states touring with artists like Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, Marcus King and Greta Van Fleet. Around the time the band were beginning to think about recording their third album, Turpin had found himself drawn towards the English folk music of his childhood. “Much of my teenage years were spent obsessing over what bands like Free and Led Zeppelin were listening to, and as a teenager I’d go to my local arts centre and see people like Martin Simpson and Bert Jansch perform,” he recalls. “As I’ve got older I’ve begun to rediscover them, Nick Drake, and John Martyn. So I began to lean more into the British folk world, and that’s definitely expressed itself on the album.”
Ida Mae’s 2021 album Click Click Domino earned wide acclaim from outlets including Under the Radar, American Songwriter, Wonderland, Clash Magazine, Live for Live Music as well as Rolling Stone who writes of the title track, “With guitar assistance from shred wizard Marcus King, the tune is a heaving mass of scuzzy blues-rock riffs and thunderous drums that indicts social media for its isolating, alienating effects… Somewhere, Jack White is busy looking for new amp settings.”
Thunder Above You Tracklist:
01 My Whispers Are Wildfire
02 Into Your River
03 American Cars
04 Doing It for Badness
05 Lost on Your Time
06 To Your Love
07 Wild Flying Dove
08 Feel the World Turning
09 Landslide
10 Thunder Above You
11 Hold You Like Fading Light
Ida Mae Tour Dates:
11/02/23 - Zürich, Switzerland - X-Tra Musikcafe
11/03/23 - La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland - Bikini Test
11/04/23 - Basel, Switzerland - Bikini Test
11/07/23 - Munich, Germany - Strom
11/09/23 - Berlin, Germany - Badehaus
11/13/23 - Cologne, Germany - MTC
11/21/23 - Manchester, UK - The Lodge (Deaf Institute)
11/22/23 - Glasgow, Scotland - Stereo
11/23/23 - Leeds, UK - Lending Room
11/28/23 - London, England - The Lower Third
11/29/23 - Brighton, England - The Hope & Ruin
12/02/23 - Norwich, England - Norwich Arts Centre
12/07/23 - Cardiff, Wales - Clwb Ifor Bach
12/08/23 - Bristol, England - The Louisiana
