Artist: MODERN STUDIES
Recorded and mixed by Pete at Pumpkinfield (and Forteviot Hall)
String/brass arrangements by Pete & Emily Scott
Performed by the Pumpkinseeds
Modern Studies are:
Emily Scott (vocals, organs, piano, double bass)
Rob St. John (vocals, guitars, synths, harmonium, tape loops)
Joe Smille (drums, mellotron, vocals)
Pete Harvey (cello, bass, piano)
The Pumpkinseeds:
Violin: Kate Miguda, Simon Graham
Viola: Liam Lynch, Alexis Bennett, Emma Connell-Smith
Cello: Harriet Davidson, Robin Mason
Trombone: Mikey Owers, Tom Smith
Backing vocals: Seonaid Aitken, Sarah Reid, Karina Smillie
‘Welcome Strangers is teeming with ideas; be it in the effervescent string arrangements, Joe Smillie’s drums that punctuate the songs like bulbs coming into bloom, or the strange symmetry of Rob St. John and Emily Scott’s vocals …The orchestral arrangements from MS cellist Pete Harvey’s own Pumpkinseeds Chamber Ensemble never feel tacked on or superfluous. Instead, they provide further depth and dynamic to songs already thrumming with these qualities. Sit up, and take note: Modern Studies are setting the standards for intelligent pop in 2018.‘
**** – Record Collector
‘Welcome Strangers holds you in an ambiguous, but utterly enchanting, embrace’
**** – MOJO
‘Songs both ancient and modern… Melancholic magic’
**** – UNCUT
‘What will you find? Something very special indeed. Some might want to stick the label chamber pop onto the music and although true, this is by no means enough to describe the music of Modern Studies. Magical, haunted music awaits you, lyrically exploring landscapes, also internal ones, strings and brass and wonderful harmony singing by Emily and Rob and ever-changing moods.‘