Throughout the whole of the 21st century, Camera Obscura have sated the world’s appetite for bookish yet luxuriant Scottish indie-pop, ruling a lane left wide open when Belle & Sebastian went full jazz-hands. But the band has been inactive in recent years following the 2015 death of keyboardist Carey Lander, so we haven’t had the privilege of hearing Tracyanne Campbell’s voice ringing out ever-so-articulately over lush retro production.

Enter Danny Coughlan of the English band Crybaby, Camera Obscura’s friends and former opening act. Glasgow-based Campbell and Bristol-based Coughlan had been talking about collaborating since before Camera Obscura released 2013’s Desire Lines, but they didn’t properly revisit the idea until some time had passed following Lander’s death. Now they’ve gotten down to business and recorded a whole album together under the name Tracyanne & Danny.

The self-titled effort is out in May on Merge. Today we hear its opening track, “Home & Dry,” as good a showcase for Campbell’s wistful reflections as you could want. As she explains, “It’s about the movement of time, the inevitability of things not staying the same. Just when you think things are sorted and ok, something changes and they no longer are.” Get the juices flowing below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Home & Dry”
02 “It Can’t Be Love Unless It Hurts”
03 “Deep In The Night”
04 “Alabama”
05 “Jacqueline”
06 “2006”
07 “The Honeymooners”
08 “Anybody Else”
09 “Cellophane Girl”
10 “O’Keeffe”

Tracyanne & Danny is out 5/25 on Merge. Pre-order it here.

CREDIT: Anna Isola Crolla