Grow Playlist: Jacob & Drinkwater - This Old River
By Becky Grinham
Hello, Spring! How on earth did we get here already? It may be because we’ve packed a whole load of energy and time into our New Year goals and ambitions, or perhaps because we’ve had an assortment of fun and memories made already - time does fly when you’re having fun, right? But, it’s become apparent that mindfulness is a strong topic that we’ve been working towards adapting into our hectic lives and I believe that music is a great way to accompany our practices and help ‘just be’ in the present moment whilst we explore the patchwork melodies.
No strangers to the scene, Jacob & Drinkwater, are the Devon based Alt-Folk duo that have been opening our minds to the beauty of exposed songwriting and enchanting string-based instrumentation since 2014. They’ve collated a series of melodic tales to share, a wholesome 10 songs in fact, that together construct their first full length studio album, ‘This Old River’.
Crowdfunded through Indiegogo in 2018, they received an overwhelming amount of support which bypassed their target with flying colours. Crowdfunds are a great way to bring a project to life, funded by supporters that are eager to deliver the artists project and/or vision, often perks are included in the pitch. Perks for ‘This Old River’ included a (pre-release) signed album, digital download, 4 tickets to their upcoming shows and even a house concert. But most importantly we’ve collaboratively made an effort in bringing a brand new record into this world.
This Old River will be officially released on March 20th, in the meantime, the duo have been touring around the UK exclusively performing songs from the album. I’m fortunate enough to have had a sneak peek and I can confirm - It’s strikingly good. With Tobias (Jacob) describing his songwriting as “Distilled life experience” and a form of “Soul cartography”, alongside high- demanded multi-instrumentalist partner, Lukas (Drinkwater), who produced, performed on and mixed the album, it’s bound to be a beautiful masterpiece. My favourite track of the album ‘There’s A Shadow On The Sun’ was inspired by reading first hand accounts of life in war torn Syria. It’s a dark, percussive bass driven song which connects with the sweeping vocals that generate haunting shivers.
Tobias and Lukas are extremely humble characters who are always on top form with their musicianship, they consistently deliver a dramatic and soulful show. I first discovered them at the Beautiful Days festival in 2015 playing harmoniously in The Bimble Inn tent (we were packed like sardines!). I genuinely stopped in my tracks and was obsessed - the sound coming from just two musicians was seriously impressive. Jacob & Drinkwater are highly sought after and for a very clear reason, please do see for yourself!
You can find music and more information at Jacob & Drinkwater’s website or on their social media channels.
“Stand out new Folk…Superb…Excellent” Chris Hawkins - BBC Radio 6
