IDA MAE

Ida Mae is the culmination of a remarkably prolific artistic pair from the UK who have now been living in Nashville for several years. Even before their move, Chris Turpin and Stephanie Jean Ward, who met at university and soon discovered their shared love of music, released three ravishing albums with their previous band, Kill It Kid, to rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. As Ida Mae, Turpin and Ward gained further acclaim with their bold sound that combines classic English folk, sprawling Americana and rowdy, frenetic rock.

A move to Nashville in 2019 led to the release of their debut, Chasing Lights, produced by Ethan Johns (Laura Marling, Kings of Leon, Ray Lamontagne, among others). Praised by national publications such as The Independent and Rolling Stone, Ida Mae embarked on a tour that would serve as the backdrop for their second album: the self-produced "Click Click Domino." Recorded in the strange isolation of the COVID lockdown, the record fused familiar country blues and folk tones with more synthetic sounds. On the swing of the title track, Turpin duels with guitar hero Marcus King; the pounding riff recalls Howlin' Wolf or Jack White. Following the release, the duo played support for Allison Krauss, Willie Nelson, Greta Van Fleet, The Marcus King Band and many others, and opened the main stage at the famed Newport Folk Festival.

Their latest album, "Thunder Above You," due out August 25, continues their exploration of the warm and effervescent indie rock aesthetic they have become synonymous with since their first emergence. The first single, "My Whispers Are Wildfire," is a combination of narrative ideals and expansive compositions. The narrative part goes back to a U.S. tour of 46 states, along with Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams. Along the way they met all sorts of eccentric characters - drunken poets, fallen oligarchs, broken-hearted country stars and many more. The record tells of these encounters.

In the process, "Thunder Above You" was made under dramatic circumstances. During the tour, the couple learned that Stephanie was pregnant. Then, when they were caught in a hurricane in San Francisco, they decided to return to the English countryside. "We wanted this album to be more of a live story," Turpin explains. He recalled a friend's family home in Norwich: "The most incredible mansion I've ever seen." Within 24 hours, a studio was installed in that house, and within seven days the new album was then recorded there - with producer Ethan Johns on drums and Nick Pini on bass. And now the listener can only be invited to let Ida Mae take him on a joyride through the vastness of America - and enjoy the chaos of a world on the brink.

Presented by Rolling Stone