Trails of Fails (LP)

THE ALBUM

More than three years after Wen D'r Maar Aan, her debut Dutch-language album, Anouk returns with Trails of Fails. It's a subdued singer-songwriter album with an intimate, warm atmosphere. It's also an album made under unusual circumstances.

Trails of Fails is a mini-album, but definitely not a quickie. "I'd rather have seven songs I'm completely behind than twelve that might have been better." That's typical of Anouk's approach to music: before she does anything, she has to believe in it completely.

Doing the same thing over and over again isn't for Anouk either. "I want to keep growing. If I don't, it's time to stop. After every record I make, I think: have I reached this point now, or can I still surprise myself? Because it's important to keep reinventing yourself. To make music that grows with you."

This time, she chose Jim Abbiss for the production, known for bands like Arctic Monkeys, Adele, and Kasabian. "I love working with different people. You always get a different vibe, a different input. Jim is very diverse; he makes a lot of different kinds of music and works with fantastic musicians." Anouk convinced the in-demand producer with a challenging plan. "I wanted to record everything live with the band in the studio. And then have it all be in one or two takes, like they used to do. Jim loved that so much that he said, 'Let's do it!'"

The pandemic threw a wrench in the works; the collaboration had to be done remotely. Abbiss recorded the music at London's Livingston Studio, after which Anouk sang the tracks at home. "It was a completely different way of working for me. Normally, I'm just there in the studio." She laughs: "Besides, I'm a bit of a technical wimp, so the fact that I did it all at home with a computer is quite special." That's also the end result, because it sounds like you're sitting next to Anouk on the couch. Looking back, she really enjoyed working from home. "It's especially nice that you can sing whenever inspiration strikes, without having to depend on others in a studio. For a record like this, which is very intimate and personal, that was ideal."

The personal nature of Trails of Fails is partly due to the period in which she wrote her songs. Anouk was stuck in a hotel in Morocco for over a month in early 2020 due to the pandemic. "That time was really good for me to figure out what I wanted to do with those songs, what I was going to do, which producer I wanted." She also spent over a year in self-quarantine, away from her boyfriend Dominique and her children. The singer has asthma and had to be extra careful not to get infected. "It wasn't one of the most exciting periods, no. I saw my children so little during that time. And my return afterward was quite a struggle; I had to earn my place back at home. You have to figure that out together, and I succeeded."

TRACKLIST:

1. I Must Walk Away

2. Something Better

3. Behind Your Words

4. Spring On A Winter's Day

5. Going For The Kill

6. Great For Us

7. Don't Change