"Willson Williams" witnesses the meeting of two like-minded musicians who’ve built their successful, independent careers on inventive folk instrumentation, reflective and sincere lyricism, and not a small amount of self-deprecation. Their modest confessionals, written poetically and over nostalgic and atmospheric melodies, are as relatable as ever, and together they find new ways to unpack their feelings.
One overarching theme on the album is that of grief, when the writing process saw them both, tragically, in mourning for separate loved ones; Dan for his brother Karl and his friend Scott Hutchinson of Frightened Rabbit, and Kathryn for her friend, comedian and BBC Radio 4 presenter Jeremy Hardy. “The initial premise and starting point for us were the discussions and open conversations on bereavement. We’d both recently lost friends who were also in the public eye, and we talked about the strange place between personal loss and the communal grieving of a public figure” the duo explained. Contrastingly, the music on "Willson Williams" is warm, heartfelt and even cheerful, an opposing nature that is completely in keeping with both their humour and candidness.
Listen to the new Katheryn Williams and Withers Hand album 'Willson Williams' here!
Kathryn and Dan met in 2019 in a Spiegeltentat Edinburgh International Book "Festival curated" by Hollie McNish and Michael Pedersen. They began making music together, travelling for writing sessions at each other’s homes, and became fast friends. “We talk and spend time together, and then it’s almost like the next time we sit down to write, a synthesis of late-night kitchen conversations become distilled into the songs. It’s hard to separate who’s done what and where the songs sprang from. The writing and the friendship with Kath rejuvenated my own songwriting process enough to be able to do this” says Dan.
The record was made with the help of Creative Scotland who funded the recording, enabling the duo to enlist some of the finest talent the Scottish music scene has to offer; artists such as Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow), Graeme Smillie (Arab Strap/The Delgados), Kris Drever (Lau), Chris 'Beans' Geddes (Belle & Sebastian), Pete Harvey (Modern Studies) and Kenny Anderson (King Creosote). Producer Rod Jones (Idlewild) recorded, engineered, and mixed the record at Post Electric Studio in Leith
