Ian Whitty & The Exchange are back this Autumn with a new album Cash Crop, due for release on November 11, with ”Bottom Line”, being their first single for release.
Cash Crop veers from simple stripped-back melodies to riotous guitar overtures to Americana. “I’m declaring war”, sings Whitty on the opening track Bottom Line before embarking on his own Odyssey-like journey; day dreaming of young love, finding hope and meaning in the face of loss, delving into disillusionment with modern culture and charting an evolution from partner to parent.
The album constantly draws the listener into an emotional exploration, all the while Whitty’s seasoned vocal is gravelly with experience, biting in its commentary and sharp in its storytelling. He frequently shifts perspectives, personas and characters in weaving a modern tapestry that manages to be both personal and full of symbolism.
It took eight years for Ian to travel the roads and bear witness to the events that we find in Cash Crop. In doing so he has provided us with an album that is warm and intimate yet feels epic in its scope.Says Ian, “Making a record is a genuinely difficult thing to do. Simply put, it’s easier to make a mess of it than to get it right. That said we are ready to walk away from this one feeling like we have captured something with a real identity, that we haven’t let any of the songs down and that we have challenged ourselves creatively in the process.”
With the intent of capturing both the energy and intimacy of live shows Cash Crop was recorded in ‘live’ spaces including One Chance Out Studios in Cork. The album was co-produced by Ian Whitty & The Exchange, Steve Fanagan and Chris Somers. It was engineered by Chris Somers and predominantly mixed by Steve Fanagan. Cash Crop was mastered at Whisper and Shout Studios, Los Angeles by Ruairi O’ Flaherty. Long-time collaborator Suzanne Power of Hazel Tree Design created the sartorial artwork for the album from Ian’s basic sketches.
In a time where playlists are consumed on demand and unlimited choice is on offer Cash Crop invites you to become a confidant and will have you pressing repeat rather than browse.
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