Alchemy EP
During 2022, Will Lawton and the Alchemists entered Play Pen Studios in Bristol and recorded an EP called ALCHEMY, produced by Patrick Phillips. This is a collection of three tracks with a total playing time of almost 20 mins, hence the songs are pretty progressive with a strong indie/jazz underpinning. When the band first formed, it was Will that took his song ideas to the band to interpret. However, this recording reflects a true collaborative evolution with all band members being involved in the writing process with ideas conceived during rehearsal jams. The songs reflect the diverse characters involved in the cauldron of creation and that is why the collection of songs has been titled ALCHEMY.
Only 100 x limited edition CD copies of this recording have been pressed and released by record label 'Supermarine Music'. They are currently available to buy from here. The full EP was released on streaming platforms on 17th March 2023.
The music on this EP is best described in a review by Devizine:
"It opens with haunting piano and Will’s sonorously equable vocals. An eight-minute masterwork called 'Daughter', will invoke imaginings of the most memorable parental occasions, the unconditional love, as subtle drumbeats roll over this drifting euphoric sonic soundscape, akin to Pink Floyd’s finest hour.
Alchemic as in experimental, naturally, as the texture of drum timings fragment from piano for the second tune, then conjoin to a fix. The single pre-release out now, 'Black Bricks', rolls into something exceptional, an unsolidified musical edifice, overlapping layers and smooth vocals on social commentary of the ordinary, bad day. The discomforting, yet almost satirised theme perhaps makes this the standout tune, this is rich and creative genius.
'Cast Iron' is the final tune, cryptic and abstract, it evokes the quest to fulfil dreams and ambitions and the sense of powerlessness that emerges from this questing. The only downside is it ends, for this is incredibly morish, and leaves you dripping to dry, but quality above quantity is key, and again, this is as smooth as a well-oiled boob! We’re treated to Eastern promise through subtle tabla in the introduction to the finale, amidst these gorgeous established layers of electric guitar, rolling drumbeats, both male and female uplifting vocals, and simple beguiling keys. But what becomes in this song, as best example for the EP, is of no standalone individual element or instrument, rather the composition, for this is the musical equivalent to Da Vinci."
Check out some of the behind-the-scene photos taken from the recording session at Play Pen Studios in 2022.