Josephine Foster is a singer-songwriter-composer whose voice seems to drift from another time. She has lent her warbling mezzo-soprano and interpretive wit to nearly two decades of self-produced recordings. Her songs are rooted in early American folk-blues as well as classical art song and Tin Pan Alley. She has crafted a singular body of work. Her music carries the soul of old folk songs, operatic hymns, and blues, yet moves freely, like a dream half-remembered. Born in the Mountain West, she sang in a log cabin church as a girl before setting out on the road, through Chicago’s back rooms to Spanish countryside villages and in and out of Nashville, she has shaped a body of song that mirrors her wandering heart. Playing guitar, piano/organ, harp, or autoharp, Foster moves effortlessly between structure and spontaneity. Her performances feel both intimate and otherworldly, drawing listeners into a world uniquely her own. A poet and visual artist as well as musician, her playful ink pieces expand upon lyrical themes of her songs.
‘A dreamily unique talent’ – The Guardian
Support from Perlee:
‘Perlee are one of the country’s most singular talents.’ – The Thin Air
Perlee are Cormac O’Keeffe and Saramai Leech. They are from County Meath, Ireland, and met through the musical scene in their town. They were in other bands before they began to collaborate and work as a duo. After almost a decade in Berlin they are currently based in Sligo.
Perlee’s music ebbs and flows between dream pop and slow core in the vein of the Cocteau Twins, Low and Beach House. So far they have released 2 E.P.s & an L.P. to excellent critical reception and radio play across Germany, Ireland, the U.S. and more. The couple, who originally met through the DIY scene in their hometown of Navan, formed Perlee whilst living in a small house in the farmer’s quarters of a large stately home, surrounded by huge trees, peacocks and farm dogs. The house was so remote that they were able to spend their evenings playing loud music late into the night. In 2018, the pair moved to Berlin and quickly found a small flat in an old industrial part of Berlin called Moabit. They had the good fortune, through friends, of finding a rehearsal space on the grounds of an old hospital around the corner and began developing the sound they had first struck upon while living in the remote Irish countryside. In the early days, the couple enjoyed the many spaces the city provided in which to showcase their music. They played hundreds of shows; in smoky bars, house concerts and clubs until the pandemic hit. Their debut album Speaking From Other Rooms was released in April 2023 to rave reviews and sold out shows. In 2024 Perlee went into the studio to record their next record and after relocating to Ireland from Berlin, they are currently mixing this sophomore album in Sligo.
