Budgee redefine the breakup disc with their poignant and powerful EP Pell-Mell — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
When Budgee’s duo of Celine Brooks and Gareth Dickson ended their eight-year romantic relationship, their EP began to write itself. Wrestling with the conventions of the classic breakup album, Pell-Mell sort through the chaos and refuse to let go of the still-warm embers of a dying fire.
Just when you thought your ears had become immune to the well-worn sounds of alt-folk and Americana, the Glasgow duo hit you hard from nowhere, with a stunning set of perfectly-formed songs that mine a sweet spot between succinct melodic drive and a warm, expansive textural/ instrumental depth. Woven around a gorgeous, striking voice, Budgee’s earworms will work their way into your heart and keep you coming back for more.
Budgee are the duo of Canadian-born songwriter Brooks and Scottish musician Dickson, guitarist in Vashti Bunyan’s touring setup for well over a decade. Their collaboration merges ethereal guitar soundscapes with alt-folk arrangements in a blend that is both rhythmically driven and deeply atmospheric. A shortlist of Celine’s key influences include Stevie Nicks, Cat Power, Hope Sandoval and Feist, whilst Gareth’s nod towards classic British folk pickers like Bert Jansch, Davy Graham and Nick Drake, combined with more recent shoegaze/ambient/reverb-heavy material including Slowdive, The Durutti Column, Johnny Marr, as well as a blues influence in the use of slide technique.
Budgee have been active since late 2019, first emerging with the low-key CD release of mini-album Swing The Barkley. Though Gareth added guitar on several tracks and helped with mixing and editing, at the outset the project was very much Celine’s — centred around her strummed acoustic and the clear, honeyed tones of her distinctive voice. With further plans put on hold during a Covid-enforced hiatus, 2021 saw Brooks and Dickson end their romantic relationship. You’d expect that split might see the pair lose contact and signal the end of Gareth’s participation in the project. Instead, they stayed friends, Budgee became a duo, and the Pell-Mell EP began to emerge from the fallout.
Pell-Mell comprises five bittersweet dialogues about re-framing and cultivating intimate love without the obligation for the traditional trappings of romance or family. Antagonistically combining seductive melodic arrangements with an unsentimental lyrical candour, the EP takes on the form of simmering conflict. Acoustic guitar riffs mimic ambient soundscapes, with muted strings attenuating across a range of ethereal filters. But just as Pell-Mell ripples with hazy, illusory romanticism, so too the accompanying vocals drip with acidic self-awareness and are delivered with unnerving sweetness.
Even though all the songs here were written by Celine, the music’s shaping and development was very much a joint effort, with Gareth heavily involved from the get-go. Where Swing The Barkley was home-recorded, this time around the EP was given the full studio treatment. Recorded and mixed by Ben Seal (bassist and occasional producer of Eliza Carthy) at The Piggery in Fife, it was produced by Seal and Celine. As a followup, Pell-Mell sounds richer, fuller and altogether more accomplished. Besides Brooks’ and Dickson’s acoustic guitar and vocals, it features the added weight and drive of Owen Curtis Williams on drums, while Robyn Dawson’s violin adds to the lusciously layered emotional pull. As well as handling recording duties, Seal contributed bass, shakers, synths and additional backing vocals.
Marking a new start, Pell-Mell is Budgee’s first truly collaborative release — the clear-sighted confluence of an elusive, experimental style with rhythmic pop delivery. It is the first of two EPs that reflect not only on a shared loss but also an ongoing exchange about entwined futures and enduring affection.
Listen to Pell-Mell below and find Budgee on their website.
