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AUTUMN’S DARLING, my new release on Stunt Records and Sundance Music, leans heavily into my rural upbringing in Maine and features a deep roster of creative voices and riveting, country-curious storytelling.

In April of 2021, co-producer Mads Brinch Nielsen and I set up shop in the Sauna Studio in Frederiksberg, Denmark, and invited 10 of our favorite multi-instrumentalists to join us on our mission of bringing 12 songs to life – 10 of which would make it onto the final album. The recording process was inspired by the Daniel Lanois / Mark Howard productions for Bob Dylan and others, with everyone in the same room, and some musicians switching instruments on different songs to achieve different sounds. Everyone brought their creativity, open-mindedness, and unique musical gifts to the studio for five days of rehearsing and recording.

After some wildly creative instrumental dubbing, mixing, and editing sessions, Marie Fisker came into the same studio to add her sultry, soulful voice to the songs, which brought the sound of AUTUMN’S DARLING together. Marie and I have worked together in various contexts over the years, including singing a duet on my previous album and playing together in the critically acclaimed Cabin Project in 2014.

I wrote all the songs and lyrics on this new album – a few of them are proud collaborations with musicians who also appear on this recording. This is also the lyrical/vocal debut of Levon which was written as an instrumental by our dear departed friend, Nicolai Munch-Hansen (1977-2017). The subject material varies from carefree fun to nightmarish survival – the writings of Cormac McCarthy influenced several songs’ lyrics. Genre-wise, there are sweet, steamy country ballads; pop tunes with insistent driving beats; swinging folk songs; and smoothly polished, classic rock-inspired tunes. Each piece has its unique approach and adds something special and specific to the album.

A HUGE THANK YOU to my Stunt Records and Sundance Music team and family for making this happen (especially Peter Littauer, Søren Friis, and Laura Littauer), to Rasmus Meisler for his brilliant illustrations, to Kenneth Heiberg for capturing the spirit of the album in the design, to THE BAND (Ace, Jakob, Hyhne, Funch, Silas, Hein, Ralle, Adrian, and Jeppe – this is your album!), to Marie for lending her transcendently beautiful voice to my music and life yet again, to Emil Thomsen for spectacular masters, and to Mads “Hippie” – for setting this project into motion with the best birthday present ever and for his patience, playing, and production throughout the process.

Enjoy!

NED FERM – vocals, keyboards, percussion, flute, saxophone, etc
MARIE FISKER – vocals
MADS BRINCH NIELSEN – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion, etc

RUNE KJELDSEN – guitars, keyboards
JACOB FUNCH – guitars, keyboards, vocals, percussion
JEPPE BRIX SØRENSEN – guitars

MADS HYHNE – trombone, keyboards, percussion
ANDERS CHRISTENSEN – bass, piano

JENS HEIN – bass, guitars
SILAS TINGLEF – drums, bass, guitars, percussion
JAKOB HØYER – drums, percussion
RASMUS VALLDORF – percussion
ADRIAN AURELIUS – percussion

1.     Giving Me A Reason (Ferm/TInglef)

2.     Gone Gone Gone (Ferm)

3.     Song of Rest (Ferm)

4.     There Is No Escape For Me (Ferm/Christensen)

5.     Levon (Munch-Hansen/Ferm)

6.     The Only Hotel in Hell (Ferm/Christensen)  

7.     Irene (Ferm/Tinglef)

8.     Stepping Stone (Ferm)

9.     Tonight (Ferm)

10.  Marry Me (Ferm)