Tender, gentle, and enchanting, UK duo Orpine’s intimate “Two Rivers” is a hug in musical form – a captivating indie folk caress filled with light and harmony, nuance and depth.
Stream: “Two Rivers” – Orpine
There is nothing quite as powerful as the sensation of being held by someone else: In the spectrum of feeling, that combination of vulnerability, intimacy, and affection go unmatched. UK duo Orpine’s new single takes inspiration from one such embrace, but it’s so much more than that: Tender, gentle, and sweet, “Two Rivers” is a hug in musical form – a captivating indie folk caress filled with nuance and depth.
It’s an exciting second look at a fresh young band we cannot wait to hear more from in due time.
Yesterday I sank to the bottom of the Ouse
And Caburn faded from view
Sinking real slowly I was enveloped in
The silky silt and nothingness
Easier to be
Than to be gone
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering the Nick Gaven-directed music video for “Two Rivers,” taken from Orpine’s forthcoming debut album Grown Ungrown, out May 15th via Heist or Hit Records (Her’s, Pizzagirl, Nature TV). The British indie folk duo of Eleanor Rudge and Oliver Catt, Orpine is the band that almost never happened: After playing together in various bands and performing on each other’s solo records, the two lost touch for quote some time. Orpine is the result of their reconnection and rekindled relationship – they refer to themselves as “two friends playing songs to pass the time and feel alive,” and that’s exactly what comes across in their music.
Orpine introduced themselves in February with “Sondern,” a strikingly spacious debut single that radiates with gorgeously bright vocal harmonies and lilting acoustic guitars. The band describe it as “equal parts beautiful, pensive, manic, [and] scared. It seemed like a good handshake with the world.”
“Two Rivers” is an exciting follow-up to “Sondern,” showcasing Orpine’s incredible vocal talents as well as their ability to inject sonic depth and emotion into their art. Rudge and Catt bring a bright world to life through strong harmonies and an enchanting melody. It’s the kind of song that stuns a room into silence; one that resonates long after the music has faded.
“In terms of writing, it came about orally rather than through any ‘played’ instrument – which was a new way of writing for me,” Eleanor Rudge tells Atwood Magazine. “In terms of mood it’s really about one very specific and simple feeling – being held, still, in water, and the peace that comes from feeling that life is temporarily on hold.”
“Easier to be, than to be gone,” Orpine chant in the hypnotic chorus, their lush voices joining with a delightfully organic instrumental array.
Muddy banks were slippery
The train was rolling by
The rushes slowed the evening tide
Yesterday I sank to the bottom of the Ouse
I’m a stone untouched amid everything
Easier to be
Than to be gone
Simply put, “Two Rivers” is a sublime representation not only of human connection, but also of Orpine’s raw musical talent.
Directed, shot, and edited by Nick Gaven, the “Two Rivers” one-shot video only further exhibits Orpine’s strengths. Shot in a Newcastle pub overlooking the River Tyne, it brings us up close and personal with the band, showing us exactly how the track came to life and offering a special perspective that we seldom see, especially with a band so early on in their career.
Produced by Jonathan Coddington (The Magic Gang, Joanna Gruesome), Orpine’s debut album promises to inspire, uplift, and ignite a fuel deep inside. Grown Ungrown is out May 15, 2020 via Heist or Hit. Stream “Two Rivers” exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and get to know Orpine in our interview below!
Now I just hope the songs can bring peace to people through this trying time.
There are themes that run through the record: Escapism through nature, love, loss, grief but these were not conscious decisions. They are life.
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:: stream/purchase Grown Ungrown here ::
Stream: “Two Rivers” – Orpine
MEET ORPINE
Atwood Magazine: Hey Orpine! For starters, how do you describe yourselves to folks who haven't heard of you before?
Oliver Catt: I suppose, at its core, it’s a folk project. We’re just two friends singing songs together and having a nice time doing it.
Where does the name Orpine come from?
Eleanor Rudge: It’s the name of plant – it’s got little pink flowers and edible leaves. There are loads of natural themes running through the album, so it felt fitting.
How would you describe your band in 3 words?
Rudge: Early Morning Fog
Catt: Stay At Home
Who do you cite as your own musical influences?
Rudge: That’s a tough one, I think both of us listen to many different things. Because the weather’s been getting nice recently, I’ve been enjoying Alefa Madagascar, a 70’s funk and soul compilation from Madagascar. Oh, and Paul Simon is almost always in the pile next to the record player.
Did you all have previous band experience, or is Orpine a first?
Rudge: We met through other bands we played in, we were both on a little label called Tiny Lights. We played quite a few shows together, became friends, fell out of touch, got back in touch, the rest is history!
I know why I like your music; but what is it about your sound that makes it so attractive to you?
Catt: I think, for me personally, the songs remind me of the incredibly personal journey that Eleanor and I have been on together. They’re steeped in memories of a past that extends further than our relationship but for me it’s cooking together at Black Hill, it’s long nights in the studio in Hackney with Jonny. It’s fundamentally the last two years of my life, aurally.
Does your music tend to be written all on the same instrument or is it scattered, in terms of songwriting style and who takes lead? Actually, do you have a primary songwriter?
Catt: I tend to write on the guitar, it’s the instrument I have played for the longest and the one I feel the most comfortable utilizing. The writing on this album is, somehow, entirely 50/50!
Rudge: I have a bit more of a ‘bit of this, bit of that’ approach! For this record it was piano, guitar and weird clarinet drones that brought songs out. I’m really glad the songwriting worked out 50/50, and I loved, possibly more so, working on each other’s songs once the backbone was in place.
Your debut single “Sondern” released earlier this year; why introduce yourselves with this song?
Catt: We felt that “Sondern” encapsulated a lot of the elements that ran through the album. Equal parts beautiful, pensive, manic, scared. It seemed like a good handshake with the world.
Talk to me about “Two Rivers” – how do you feel this track shares a new side to you that perhaps wasn't as evident in “Sondern”? Why is this song special?
Rudge: Well in terms of writing, it came about orally rather than through any ‘played’ instrument – which was a new way of writing for me. In terms of mood it’s really about one very specific and simple feeling – being held, still, in water, and the peace that comes from feeling that life is temporarily on hold. I guess that’s quite different from Sondern, which aimed to communicate something a little more complex – and the song structure reflected that, too.
I really love your whole album, Grown Ungrown. What does this title mean?
Catt: Thank you! The title is taken from the poem ‘On The Beach At Night Alone’ by Walt Whitman. To me it represents existing in a state of flux; not quite an adult but existing alone; not sure of your future but being the sole pilot of your life. It’s imposter syndrome.
How would you describe the record as a whole? is there a theme to it; is it intended as a singular body of work, or rather as a collection of songs?
Catt: We didn’t set out to write a record. We wanted to reconnect with each other on a personal level, and the simplest way to do that was through music. There are themes that run through the record: Escapism through nature, love, loss, grief but these were not conscious decisions. They are life.
We wanted to reconnect with each other on a personal level, and the simplest way to do that was through music.
What are you most excited about, now that your music is finally seeing the light of day?
Catt: I think we were both excited to get out on the road and bring the record to as many ears as we could. Now I just hope the songs can bring peace to people through this trying time. Please, take care of each other, be kind and stay safe.
:: stream/purchase Grown Ungrown here ::
Stream: “Two Rivers” – Orpine
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