Sign of the Times EPK

Lawrence, KS five-piece Carswell & Hope announce the release of Sign of the Times, their 2nd full length studio album, on Tuesday August 30th, 2022. Title track and lead single is now streaming on all platforms and the album can be pre-ordered from carswellandhope.bandcamp.com. The release coincides with band’s annual residency at the Kansas City Irish Fest, Sept 2-5th.

The first post-pandemic offering from the group led by Irish songwriter and lead vocalist, Nick Carswell, the album features ten tracks that move from atmospheric landscapes through pulsing guitars and flavors of electronica, to the rich indie-rock that Carswell & Hope have steadily built a reputation for, over their ten years.

With studio work that originated back in the before times of 2019, the album was recorded in homes, garages and basements throughout 2020 and 2021. Finishing touches were laid down in the studio in January-March 2022 and the album was masterfully mixed by Joel Nanos at Element Recording Studios, Kansas City. This is the band’s first full length release in 8 years, and follows 2018’s Exit Plan EP and various single releases, as well as a variety of miscellany released during the pandemic.

Guest performers elevate and expand the C&H sound on Sign of the Times: Katlyn Conroy’s
majestic vocals feature on several tracks, guitar solos and pedal steel provided by Lucas Parker
and Mark Murtha, respectively, with Damon Parker on Hammond organ and Audrey Herren on
cello. Album cover artwork is by Til Willis.

STREAM OR DOWNLOAD LEAD SINGLE, TITLE TRACK “SIGN OF THE TIMES” NOW:

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More about Carswell & Hope

From Lawrence, KS by way of Ireland, Carswell & Hope bring vintage rock sounds and sensibilities together with big harmonies, carefully crafted textures and inventive songwriting.

“Once, when I was just a boy / I found a toy to play / A question not for answering / A joyful noise to make” – thus the lyrics of the song Seraphine describe how songwriter and lead vocalist Nick Carswell came to music, as a performer and songwriter. A naturally gifted musician, while Nick was taking classical piano lessons at the age of 8, he would entertain himself learning the songs he heard on the radio, stoking a curiosity for melody and lyrics that is still evident in his songwriting today. The discovery of The Beatles, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Radiohead, and more led him to pick up the guitar at the age of 16. He never looked back.

Fast forward a couple of decades, Carswell & Hope was formed in 2012 when Nick traded Ireland for Lawrence, Kansas, with guitar in hand. He soon found Jason Slote on drums, Austin Quick on bass, and Jordan Tucker on guitar, and the debut LP A Hunger was released 2014 to rave reviews and an Irish tour. Ryan McCall joined the band on keys for the Exit Plan EP in 2018, with several singles along the way.

August 2022 sees the release of the band’s 2nd full length record, Sign of the Times, and continues to break new ground for Carswell & Hope in rock, pop and folk.