Loud And Quiet
Painted Shrines is a new partnership between Jeremy Earl (Woods) and Glenn Donaldson (Skygreen Leopards). The pair met in the mid-’00s and have collaborated numerous times, most notably on the 2011 Woods album
Sun And Shade.
Their first official collaboration,
Heaven And Holy, was recorded in a week in 2018 after Earl accepted an invitation to visit Donaldson’s coastal studio in Northern California. Jeff Moller (Papercuts) added bass and the final touches were made during lockdown. The 12 tracks maintain the effortless feel of the initial recording session, sounding fresh and unforced
.
Given the pair initially bonded over their love of tambourines and DIY there’s little that will surprise on their debut. This is the psych-folk sound of The Byrds being played through the jingle-jangle morning of ’80s indie, especially the Stone Roses. There’s nonetheless a sweet melancholy to the harmonised tracks that make them comforting.