Biography
In their 2018 self-titled debut, Tracyanne & Danny fused girl group sweetness, classic Brill Building songcraft, sweeping orchestral pop, and intimate lyrical concerns, selecting the strongest traits from each musician’s earlier work. Danny Coughlan had issued fine Roy Orbison-inspired recordings as Crybaby, while Tracyanne Campbell served as the central force in Camera Obscura, one of the most acclaimed indie pop bands of the 2000s.
Their connection began in the early 2010s when Campbell, struck by Crybaby’s 2012 self-titled debut, invited Coughlan to open several Camera Obscura concerts. The two singer-songwriters quickly developed musical rapport and began trading song ideas with future collaboration in mind. Those plans were deferred while Camera Obscura recorded and promoted its 2013 album Desire Lines. After Campbell’s bandmate and closest friend Carey Lander died of cancer in 2015, Camera Obscura paused its activities so Campbell could focus on mourning and family. Coughlan, recalling their earlier bond, mailed her a new song idea on a taped-over Smiths cassette. She responded with a handwritten note asking the Bristol-based Coughlan to visit her in Glasgow and develop the piece. A single song grew into a full album’s worth of material, and they chose to record it.
At Edwyn Collins’ studio in a remote part of Scotland they were joined by keyboardist Carwyn Ellis, drummer Stacey Hampson, a string section, a pedal steel player, and the horns of co-producer Sean Read, whose most recent work had been with Dexys Midnight Runners. Collins formed the other half of the production team and sang on “Alabama,” a touching ode to Lander. Merge released the album in May 2018, and the duo completed a short two-week tour shortly afterward.
Their connection began in the early 2010s when Campbell, struck by Crybaby’s 2012 self-titled debut, invited Coughlan to open several Camera Obscura concerts. The two singer-songwriters quickly developed musical rapport and began trading song ideas with future collaboration in mind. Those plans were deferred while Camera Obscura recorded and promoted its 2013 album Desire Lines. After Campbell’s bandmate and closest friend Carey Lander died of cancer in 2015, Camera Obscura paused its activities so Campbell could focus on mourning and family. Coughlan, recalling their earlier bond, mailed her a new song idea on a taped-over Smiths cassette. She responded with a handwritten note asking the Bristol-based Coughlan to visit her in Glasgow and develop the piece. A single song grew into a full album’s worth of material, and they chose to record it.
At Edwyn Collins’ studio in a remote part of Scotland they were joined by keyboardist Carwyn Ellis, drummer Stacey Hampson, a string section, a pedal steel player, and the horns of co-producer Sean Read, whose most recent work had been with Dexys Midnight Runners. Collins formed the other half of the production team and sang on “Alabama,” a touching ode to Lander. Merge released the album in May 2018, and the duo completed a short two-week tour shortly afterward.
Albums
Singles
