Ellis Jones likes to burrow between the sheets of sweetness and sadness. The Bristol-based songwriter is the one constant behind the rotating lineup that is Trust Fund, an indie-pop band that revels in messy songs about love, death and existence. We have always lived in The Harolds was suddenly dropped on Bandcamp in June, and will be released on cassette in the U.S. in September. It's a bit quieter than previous albums, and maybe a little weirder in how it plays with atmosphere and song structure — but the giddy "Crab Line" sticks out like a candy-coated sore thumb.
"Me and my baby, that's all we want / All we want is to not exist," Jones sings over palm-muted guitar, shambling drums and a cheap keyboard. After a round of misshapen twin-guitar leads, "Crab Line" suddenly turns into a '50s pop song in waltz time. It's joyful in the nothingness of being, with a high-strung, twee energy straight out of Tullycraft.
Fellow Bristol indie-popper directed the low-key video for "Crab Line," which features Jones and his bandmates goofing off in a Norwegian hostel, doing body slams, flips and basic stunt choreography with fjords in the distance.
We have always lived in The Harolds comes out on cassette on Sept. 2 via It Takes Time.
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