In March 2020, I was asked to produce a ten-minute package for a BBC Radio arts show. Living in Deal on the Kent coast, I went down onto the beach to sit and think about what I wanted to write about. The sea is such a source of comfort, the sound of the waves and the line of the horizon a daily form of meditation and reflection. I filmed and recorded the sea then went back to my studio. I found it was easier to express my emotions through music rather than words, and so the opening track, ’By the Sea’ was born. Mary Anne Hobbs heard the piece and played it on her BBC Radio 6 Music show. She suggested that I release it, and that’s how Sea Souls started. This album takes you on a journey through the soul, each piece on this album inspired by how the sea and the weather reflected my emotions that day. 2020 was such a turbulent year and each track on this album represents a different snapshot of that time. Many of the pieces were recorded in a series of single improvised takes, and some were worked on over a period of time. Like the commitment to the improvised takes on violin, viola, piano, recorder, bass and guitar which pervade the music, this album is an acceptance of flaws and imperfection, letting go of the idea of perfection. On June 7th the music from Sea Souls will be used in collaboration with female poets across the globe opening up York Festival of Ideas, in partnership with Dhaka Lit Fest and Jaipur Literary Festival. Anna will be joined by Klara Schumann (cello) and Richard Bundy (piano) for a streamed performance from the beautiful York Minster, interweaving her music with poetry including Salena Godden, Sadaaf Saaz, Jasmin Kaur and Melizarani T.Selva. Dinked Edition: Heavyweight transparent Green vinyl * Double sided, numbered art print * Unique sleeve art * Dinked sticker * Limited Pressing of 500 * Exclusive to #Dinkededition
