Hope In High Water are a duo from Milton Keynes, UK whose distinctly British take on acoustic Americana has captivated audiences across the UK since early 2014. The pair incorporate folk, blues and country into their compositions, delivering what Rock ’n’ Reel Magazine describe as 'exuberant songs performed with passion and intensity'. Inspired by the LPs of Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Townes Van Zandt and Howlin' Wolf – Hope In High Water seek to reinterpret American sounds of the 20th century for 21st century Britain.
Formerly known by their individual names ‘Josh Chandler Morris & Carly Slade’, the pair released the single ‘Who’s Gonna Hold Your Hand’ in May 2015. With the positive response received by the UK Country/Americana music press, along with radio coverage across the U.S., the duo were able to spend the summer of 2015 touring the UK, including several dates with Willie Watson (formerly of Old Crow Medicine Show). On the wave of the success of the summer, Josh and Carly decided that the time was right to change their name and settled on ‘Hope In High Water’, a name that both represented the dark nature of the music whilst also recognising the underlying message of positivity.
The pair are releasing their brand new EP ‘When Sorrow Calls’ today, 14th March 2016. When Sorrow Calls draws together the lonesome, soulful influence of America’s musical traditions, reminiscent at times of the field songs of the South or the Blues of the Delta and combining this with modern Folk/Americana/Country influences such as Justin Townes Earle, Shovels & Rope and Andrew Combs. Already able to boast BBC Radio 1 play, features in R2 Magazine and shining reviews from music blogs such as Americana UK and Punktastic, the pair were also selected as a ‘Tip for 2015’ in Rock ’n’ Reel Magazine at the start of the year.
Much like their name, the song ‘When Sorrow Calls’ emphasises the importance of positivity whilst accepting the inevitability of sorrow. The song tells a story of those less fortunate still able to imagine a brighter future and through doing so shines a light on our own sources of sadness. An admission that although often our own sorrow pales in significance compared to others that sometimes that fact fails to lessen our own troubles.
Wanting to create a video that reflects the honesty of the song, Hope In High Water set up a house show with some of their close friends in their own flat and recruited filmmaker Matt Carson of The JB Conspiracy to document the evening. The result is a genuine, warm and heartfelt video to accompany the latest release.
Both drawing their roots from the punk scene, Hope In High Water are an unlikely pair to be pushing the frontiers of UK Americana/folk. Yet both have felt the pull of the travelling lifestyle to which they were exposed at an early age, Josh with his blues musician parents and Carly with a father whose work pulled the family from place to place. This inspired a wanderlust in the pair that would open their minds to the sounds of far off cultures and ultimately draw them together.
Having both toured independently through their early twenties, the two were to meet in a London bar back in 2010, where Carly was barmaid and Josh was playing. Crossing paths again several years later, the two quickly became intertwined and with the demise of their bands and a new musical project envisioned, the obvious choice was to take the dark, roots inspired brand of folk they had been honing at home out into the world.
Inspired by the dark modal sounds of American traditional music, the pair create something steeped in tradition, whilst also retaining a relevance to their urban surroundings. Drawing on experiences older than their years, the two deal with the pertinent subject matter of addiction, ending of relationships and the death of friends, following the loss of Josh’s best friend to cancer. In this way Hope In High Water present something reminiscent of the troubadours of old, not influenced by trends but focused on creating honest and heartfelt expression.
Formerly known by their individual names ‘Josh Chandler Morris & Carly Slade’, the pair released the single ‘Who’s Gonna Hold Your Hand’ in May 2015. With the positive response received by the UK Country/Americana music press, along with radio coverage across the U.S., the duo were able to spend the summer of 2015 touring the UK, including several dates with Willie Watson (formerly of Old Crow Medicine Show). On the wave of the success of the summer, Josh and Carly decided that the time was right to change their name and settled on ‘Hope In High Water’, a name that both represented the dark nature of the music whilst also recognising the underlying message of positivity.
The pair are releasing their brand new EP ‘When Sorrow Calls’ today, 14th March 2016. When Sorrow Calls draws together the lonesome, soulful influence of America’s musical traditions, reminiscent at times of the field songs of the South or the Blues of the Delta and combining this with modern Folk/Americana/Country influences such as Justin Townes Earle, Shovels & Rope and Andrew Combs. Already able to boast BBC Radio 1 play, features in R2 Magazine and shining reviews from music blogs such as Americana UK and Punktastic, the pair were also selected as a ‘Tip for 2015’ in Rock ’n’ Reel Magazine at the start of the year.
Much like their name, the song ‘When Sorrow Calls’ emphasises the importance of positivity whilst accepting the inevitability of sorrow. The song tells a story of those less fortunate still able to imagine a brighter future and through doing so shines a light on our own sources of sadness. An admission that although often our own sorrow pales in significance compared to others that sometimes that fact fails to lessen our own troubles.
Wanting to create a video that reflects the honesty of the song, Hope In High Water set up a house show with some of their close friends in their own flat and recruited filmmaker Matt Carson of The JB Conspiracy to document the evening. The result is a genuine, warm and heartfelt video to accompany the latest release.
Both drawing their roots from the punk scene, Hope In High Water are an unlikely pair to be pushing the frontiers of UK Americana/folk. Yet both have felt the pull of the travelling lifestyle to which they were exposed at an early age, Josh with his blues musician parents and Carly with a father whose work pulled the family from place to place. This inspired a wanderlust in the pair that would open their minds to the sounds of far off cultures and ultimately draw them together.
Having both toured independently through their early twenties, the two were to meet in a London bar back in 2010, where Carly was barmaid and Josh was playing. Crossing paths again several years later, the two quickly became intertwined and with the demise of their bands and a new musical project envisioned, the obvious choice was to take the dark, roots inspired brand of folk they had been honing at home out into the world.
Inspired by the dark modal sounds of American traditional music, the pair create something steeped in tradition, whilst also retaining a relevance to their urban surroundings. Drawing on experiences older than their years, the two deal with the pertinent subject matter of addiction, ending of relationships and the death of friends, following the loss of Josh’s best friend to cancer. In this way Hope In High Water present something reminiscent of the troubadours of old, not influenced by trends but focused on creating honest and heartfelt expression.
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