Glaswegian ambient duo Cahill//Costello return with news of their second collaborative album Cahill//Costello II. Made up of classically trained, experimental guitarist Kevin Daniel Cahill, and renowned Scottish jazz innovator Graham Costello (of the SAY Award nominated and Jazzwise Ones To Watch, Graham Costello’s STRATA), the album follows their 2021 debut “Offworld”, which saw support CLASH, Worldwide FM, Future Music, Electronic Sound, Concrete Islands, and many more. The new album will be released via London analogue specialists Gearbox Records (Emanuel Harrold, Abdullah Ibrahim, Village Of The Sun, Knats) on 8th November.
The new material sees Cahill//Costello flex and weave around each other in moments of effected guitar-based ambient atmospherics and subtly groove inflected drumming, which are often run through hypnotic tape loops. The pair met at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and despite studying different disciplines (jazz and classical) they found they shared a mutual passion for minimalism and improvisation. At times you can hear nods towards Costello’s jazz background, and at others, hints of wide screen post-rock intensity – remnants of his time spent in instrumental rock outfits growing up. It’s an expansive and ambitious record that sees the duo build on the work of their debut.
To mark the announcement of the new record, Cahill//Costello have shared a new single titled “Sunbeat”. The track represents a new direction for the duo in terms of sound and tonality. Speaking on the song, the duo says, “we felt this was a good first single to showcase our growth and change in the sound world since ‘Offworld’. Initially this piece started with an improvised tape loop, then came the beat itself and the guitars followed. The song was born from a last minute improvised / warm up before the principle tracking of the album started. We managed to capture the initial recording of the jam – we loved it so much that we decided to include it on the album. It was a very organic and fun process – a true representation of how we work together.”
The duo’s writing process is grounded in patience and clarity, an honest appeal to the heart of the listener. Cahill//Costello embrace an analogue approach to their composition and performance, following the conceptual idea of everything happening strictly within the moment.
Going on to speak about the record, they say, “The process for writing and creating ‘Cahill//Costello II’ was in many ways no different than ‘Offworld’, but very different in others. Most of the initial ideas were all improvised, in the moment and recorded live as we did before. The most significant difference was that we became closer as a duo and as friends. ‘Offworld’ seemed for us to be a great starting opportunity to figure each other out – musically and personally. The outcome was an album that we are both incredibly proud of. It transpires that the ‘writing process’ never really ended from the ‘Offworld’ sessions, it all began to merge, slowly through time into what would eventually become this album.
As a result, there was no dedicated time to sit down and write or rehearse this album, it was born out of a continued perpetual motion of the band. There was a back and forth of sonic ideas that came from somewhere special, ideas shared which were never forced, they come and go and if they stay, they stay for a reason. It all naturally fell into place, which looking back is special. It’s a delicate concept to navigate, playing music this way together, as it is music based on shared emotions and intuition. In one way, you want to write and play together as much as possible to celebrate the music and the friendship you have – but you also don’t want to ‘drink the well dry’ yet drink enough and as little as you need in order to maintain longevity for fresh and creative ideas. ‘Cahill//Costello II’ is a representation of our continued development, better understanding of our own creative process, listening to each other and becoming closer as friends and as a duo.”
This approach is evident in their live performances with visuals, extended improvisations and aleatoric use of analogue tape loops and soundscapes. The band recently appeared at Bristol’s ArcTanGent Festival, and will play a short UK tour in celebration of the new album in December. Dates are as follows:
5 December 2024 – The Rum Shack – Glasgow – UK
6 December 2024 – Summerhall (Old Lab) – Edinburgh – UK
11 December 2024 – The Exchange – Bristol – UK
12 December 2024 – King’s Place – London – UK
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