Goldray (REEF’s Kenwyn House) to release ‘Rising’ Album on 5th May
Kenwyn House, guitarist of 90s alt rock giants REEF and his new UK psychedelic rock band GOLDRAY are set to release their highly-anticipated full length debut album ‘Rising’ on May 5th.
Recorded at various studios including Metropolis, The Granary and RAK Studios, the album has been produced jointly by Kenwyn House and vocalist Leah Rasmussen and co-produced by Clive Martin (the acclaimed knob-twiddler behind Reef’s huge debut Replenish), with Brit Award-winning producer Pedro Ferreira adding his magic touch to the final mixes. ‘Rising’ will be released in Vinyl LP, CD and Digital formats via their own label Akashic Records, with worldwide distribution through Cargo Records.
The band will kick off their live schedule in support of the album with a launch show at London’s The Borderline on Wednesday 10th May.
Kenwyn comments: “I’ve put so much of what I am into this album and these songs. This was a record I was always going to make; an album that truly expressed my vision and choices musically. Making your own record gives you all the terrifying power and responsibility to do exactly whatever your dream vision is. And that’s what we’ve done here; our vision with no thought of anything other than making the best music we can.”
On their songwriting partnership, Leah adds: “Kenwyn and I are real perfectionists in our approach to our music. We like to spend the time journeying with each song, rather than just churning tunes out. That way the song has time to show you what it wants to be, and every single song we’ve written has taken me on a totally different journey and experience to the last. Each has its own personality and message – some can seem like a painful, passionate romance that forces me to fight to finish them, others just flow downstream with great ease and immense highs. For me, this album is a reflection on my life, thoughts and dreams. Yes, it’s a concept album; I think the listener will work out what that is from listening to the record.”
GOLDRAY enjoyed a successful 2014/2015 with the self-release of their eponymous debut EP/LP ‘Goldray‘, which was met with critical acclaim from major rock titles, with Classic Rock Magazine declaring them ‘a splendid prog ‘n’ psych magical carpet ride’ and drawing parallels with the likes of The Doors, Cream and Pink Floyd, with sister magazine PROG also referencing comparisons to Zeppelin and Kate Bush.
Goldray formed proper in 2010 when Kenwyn House teamed up with vocalist Leah Rasmussen (Hydrogen, EMI, Bedrock, Renaissance). The two shared a songwriting vision blending psych and prog experimental arrangements resulting in a dynamic that took them towards psychedelic rock: House’s hooks complemented by Rasmussen’s powerful but smooth Kate Bush-esque vocals. Joined by Geoff Laurens (The Resistors) on bass and featuring performances from both Andy Treacey (Faithless) and Paul Winter-Hart (Kula Shaker) on drums, Goldray’s sound has one foot more than firmly planted in the psych rock tradition of the late-sixties and early-seventies.
The band have been garnering a formidable reputation live with performances at Glastonbury, Bestival, Download Festival, Camden Rocks Festival and various London shows including a support slot with psych legends Motorpsycho.
Full UK tour dates for spring 2017 in support of the album are to be announced.