Alchemy is the new EP by Wiltshire-based ensemble Will Lawton & The Alchemists, due for release on 17th March 2023 via West Country label Supermarine Music. Will Lawton is a prolific songwriter-pianist joined, for this release, by the Alchemists featuring Weasel Howlett on drums, Buddy Fonzarelli on bass, Neil Muttock (electric guitar) Amy Kaelyn (vocals and guitar) and Harki Popli (tabla). The lead single Black Bricks is now out.
The EP title Alchemy is a reference to the alchemical process of creativity with this EP being a fusing of Will’s masterful song-craft and the band’s dextrous flair for instrumental flourishes and lush, subtly evolving arrangements. This meeting of worlds is reflective of their shared love of bands such as GoGo Penguin and Portico Quartet alongside Will’s admiration for singers such as Eddie Vedder, Ray Lamontagne and Ben Howard. In terms of where inspiration came from for the three tracks that make up the Alchemy EP, Will’s profession as a music therapist means he has a high degree of self-awareness when it comes to the cathartic, healing power of creativity. Black Bricks channels frustration with the madness and cruelty of people behaving at their worst whereas Daughter celebrates the unconditional love that one feels for their nearest and dearest. Somewhat more cryptic and abstract, Cast Iron evokes the quest to fulfil one’s dreams and ambitions and the sense of powerlessness that emerges from the questing heart.
Will Lawton & The Alchemists have steadily built a solid live following with shows across the South West of England, and garnered support from Scala Radio, BBC Radio Wiltshire, BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Gloucestershire, BBC Radio Somerset and BBC Introducing for the West. They recently supported Brit-pop legends Space to great acclaim. With the release of the Alchemy EP it seems only a matter of time before the best kept secret of the West Country becomes a hot new name on the national scene.
Alchemy EP was produced by Patrick Phillips at Play Pen Studios, Bristol and mastered by Pete Maher at Top Floor Productions.
