Trotternish by Jack Warner

Jack Warner is a musician, songwriter and producer from Norfolk, UK who is a founding member of psych rock band Floral Image. Since 2019 he has been writing and producing their songs which have featured on BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, Radio X, Clash and Under The Radar to international acclaim. Jack also produces electronic dance remixes of the band’s songs and separately, has co-produced other Norwich artists such as PleasureInc, Vicky Bass, Sunny Bones and Not Happy.

‘Trotternish’ is the debut solo EP from Jack Warner which emerged during a period of rest after a busy year of releasing music and touring. Wintery and reflective in nature, this release epitomises the quieter side of Jack, which he recorded at home between December 2023 and February 2024.

As with the majority of creative minded people who regularly look to reinvent themselves, ‘Trotternish’ sees a departure from the psych rock of Floral Image and electronic dance of Jack’s remixes and move towards a more stripped back way of producing music. As Jack explains, “As well as writing songs for Floral, I am always making music on my own which span a wide range of styles and genres. Since I was very young those songs have mainly been piano based and classical in nature, so for this EP I wanted to explore something more vulnerable, that my inner child could relate to”.

The songwriting and themes of the EP are very personal to Jack, who produced it during a difficult period of reflection, with each song representing different stages of the dark days of British Winter. “I imagined some kind of unspecific mammal, human or otherwise, struggling to survive the cold. Forcing itself to get going in the morning, being busy when it's light, finding the beautiful moments when it can, the uncontrollable fear of the sun setting early and hibernating - forgetting life exists for a while”.

The EP is named after the northernmost peninsula of the Isle of Skye, North-West Scotland, where Jack lived for 6 weeks in 2013 whilst studying Geology at the University of Birmingham. Even though it was a very challenging time for his ongoing struggles with depression, it was during this visit that his love for Skye and Scotland blossomed. “I was only just starting to make music back then and had dreams of being a musician. I was seriously depressed and lost at the time. Even though the isolation of Skye was insanely difficult to cope with, I fell in love with the place and have felt drawn to regularly go back ever since. That’s why I felt obliged to dedicate my first ever solo music release to Skye, as it’s had a profound effect on me ever since”. The cover photograph was taken by Jack during that field trip and shows the typical stormy waters of The Inner Sound, which is a strait separating the Isle of Skye from the Scottish mainland.

Even though ‘Trotternish’ can be broadly classified in the ambient realm, its contemporary classical and electronic vibe evokes wider musical influences. Components of folk, soundscapes of the natural world and progressive rock, such as Supertramp and King Crimson, compliment the songs. The EP was inspired after delving deep into the instrumental world of ambient music, such as Nils Frahm, Brian Eno and Aphex Twin, who all use earthy cyclicality and minimalism in their work.

‘Trotternish’ will be released digitally on 19th March 2024, the last day of Winter.

Jack Warner is a musician, songwriter and producer from Norfolk, UK who is a founding member of psych rock band Floral Image. Since 2019 he has been writing and producing their songs which have featured on BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1 and Radio X, Clash and Under The Radar. Jack also produces electronic dance remixes of the band’s songs and separately, has co-produced other Norwich artists.

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