You Tell Me

You Tell Me unites Peter Brewis of Field Music with Sarah Hayes of Admiral Fallow, blending their respective orchestral-pop sensibilities and singular approaches to songcraft while preserving an intimate, confessional tone in the lyrics. Although Hayes had long admired Field Music, the two first crossed paths following a 2016 concert tribute to Kate Bush. Brewis was struck by the quality of her voice after encountering her interpretation of Bush’s “This Woman’s Work,” and several months later he forwarded her a set of his own compositions with the notion of producing a record for her. Their initial meeting took place at Field Music’s studio in Sunderland, where conversation revealed shared admiration for Rufus Wainwright, Tortoise, Randy Newman, and the Blue Nile. Impressed by the demos Hayes had prepared, Brewis proposed forming a band, and the pair began tracking material together. Memphis Industries, Field Music’s longtime home, issued their first single, “Clarion Call,” in 2018; Brewis himself designed the artwork for the 7-inch sleeves so that multiple copies could be assembled into one larger image. Early in 2019 the duo released their self-titled debut album, which they produced themselves and which proved to be the final recording made inside Field Music’s Sunderland facility before the building was torn down.