A.A. Williams<\/a> is a classically trained pianist and cellist, a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist. Her beautiful, dark debut album Forever Blue<\/em> was recorded in the two-bedroom North London apartment she shares with her husband, bassist Thomas Williams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Released in July via Bella Union<\/a>, Forever Blue<\/em> combines Williams’ skillful classical arrangements with post-rock and metal elements from guest vocalists Johannes Persson and Fredrik Kihlberg of Swedish metal band Cult of Luna<\/a>. While other artists may have felt out of their depth with recording an album from home, Williams says, \u201cI didn’t think too hard about it, I just got on with it really.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams\u2019 process is to record demos then take the elements and refine them in post production. The beauty of Forever Blue<\/em> is that much of the material from the demos remains on the final album. \u201cIt wasn’t necessarily our plan to record the album at home in our apartment,\u201d she says. \u201cBut we didn’t have to worry about paying and booking a studio this way. It was made before COVID-19, so it wasn\u2019t the product of lockdown. Ultimately, the demo sounds like a less shiny product of the original, which I like. A lot of what I do in the demo stays, to be honest, so a lot of that original stuff landed on the album.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Forever Blue<\/em>, Williams did all the guitars, the cellos, the keyboard instruments and all the vocals. \u201cHaving the ability to play the cello is so handy because I can put strings on stuff, but I’ve done it for so long, I consider it usual,\u201d she says. \u201cMy dog makes a few appearances on the record. The sounds of North London, ambulances from the nearby hospital, are on there too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n