Album Notes

Recorded in the hills of Yorkshire, "Bonfires" burns bright and casts long, shifting shadows. Zoe Mulford's first album since moving to England draws on the spirit of the British folk clubs and features musicians from both sides of the Atlantic. The mix of original and traditional songs (plus one cover) presents a cast of wayward ghosts, takers of chances, and practitioners of love against the odds.

“Open Water” uses the ghostly voice of one of Franklin’s lost crewmen to tell an updated story of the Northwest Passage. “The Ace of Spades” recounts a strange game of cards in 19th-century Liverpool. “Just Before I Go” is a leaving song for anyone who disagrees with their partner about which way the toilet paper should hang. The title is taken from “Welcome In Another Year”, which invokes New Year’s customs from all over the world and all around the calendar.