Australian singer-songwriter Carus Thompson releases his new album Caravan next week on Valve Records and once again he’ll be joining his mate Seth Lakeman, who guests on the album, for his December UK tour. Recorded between studios in England, Germany and Australia, with long-time collaborators Greg Arnold (co-producer) and Nashville’s Brad Jones (Josh Rouse, Bob Evans, Matthew Sweet) on mixing duties, the album reflects Thompson’s time on the road building up a fan base that’s rapidly expanded beyond the Australian roots movement where he made his name alongside the likes of The Waifs, The John Butler Trio and Pete Murray.
Watch Carus performing the title track from his album on Melbourne TV and read about his experiences making the album:
“Despite the name, to me this record is not just a ‘road album’ of songs about lonely hotel rooms and drunken late nights in bars, though there was plenty of that. Writing this album on the road in such periods of isolation meant that whilst the songs reflect the people and stories that I’ve come across on the road, it also really expresses how I feel as a person to have arrived here at this point in my life.
“At the beginning of this record I had no songs and in some way I feel that I threw myself so hard into touring this last year in order to put myself under some kind of emotional pressure that would push the writing process. Inspiration ‘against the wall’ so to speak, brings you in touch with the characters you are writing about and makes you really feel for people you meet along the way – and their stories. You go into such an introspective space. So much time thinking on planes, trains, driving – all this stuff coupled with an ache, a pressure, a longing – that brings everything into a tight focus.
“I’ve been writing songs since I was 12 years old. That’s 22 years now. I’ve been playing in pubs since I turned 18 and I’ve been touring pretty much non-stop over the past 12 years. So on the album there is definitely an undercurrent of desperation. I’ve fought it hard to get here and I’ve fought hard to be able to keep doing this. Not to complain, I also feel very lucky to be able to make my living out of music, but it has not been an easy road that’s for sure.
“In You Can’t Find Me I sing about “peering off a cliff’s edge” and that’s how you feel as an independent artist. You are really never that far away from falling, from having to give up completely and get a day job full time, having to end up thinking about ‘what might have been’. So I really think I put myself under this extra pressure deliberately, both with the touring and with the writing and recording. It’s now or never, and I’m really happy to say that with the album finished, I’m willing to jump off a cliff with this one.”
Carus will be promoting Caravan on his UK tour supporting Seth Lakeman who’s also promoting his new album, Tales From The Barrel House. Carus dates below.
No shows booked at the moment.
