The Gentle Spring, the Paris-based trio led by Field Mice co-founder Michael Hiscock, have announced their second album Northernhay for 22 January 2027 on Skep Wax Records (vinyl, CD and digital). First single Down With Love is out now with a video.
The press release says the witty lyrics could be a riposte to the lovelorn romance of The Field Mice, while the music sounds like a reprise of that much-loved band – "melodic, infectious, pure pop". It's more upbeat than debut album Looking Back At The World, with drums and percussion added to the shimmering acoustic guitars and sinuous bass. Michael and Emilie Guillaumot share the vocals, with Jeremie Orsel on guitar. The band describe the songs as sometimes recalling early Microdisney and sometimes The Pet Shop Boys.
The title comes from Northernhay, a winding street that led from the Croydon suburbs where Michael grew up out to a patch of wilderness where foxes are seen and the streetlights don't reach. It's where he first discovered that the world is mysterious and deeply romantic. We Let Our Feelings Show goes back to the early days of forming The Field Mice, and The Second City is a tribute to Croydon, the suburb sometimes dismissed as an adjunct of London, as the place where books, records and creative friendships turned up.
A Croydon street where the lights run out, a song for the town that got a band started, and a songwriter now living in Paris – that's the sort of story that makes me glad to back this record. Anyone who loved The Field Mice will want to hear what Michael is doing with the story now, and I'm happy to recommend it.
Other tracks include Tied To You, which opens the album with a list of souvenirs like ticket stubs, postcards and badges, Could I Ever Feel The Same Again? and Cutting Me In Two. The full track listing is Tied To You, Down With Love, Time On Their Hands, Could I Ever Feel The Same Again?, We Let Our Feelings Show, The Secret Hidden From View, Cutting Me In Two and Second City.
UK dates:
- 23 Jan – Bristol, Cafe Kino
- 24 Jan – Brighton, The Albert
- 27 Jan – Coventry, LTB Showrooms
- 28 Jan – Manchester, Castle Hotel
- 29 Jan – Sheffield, Sidney And Matilda
- 30 Jan – London, The Waiting Room
Album page on Bandcamp: https://thegentlespring.bandcamp.com/album/northernhay