Sgàile is the artistic endeavour of Scottish multi-instrumentalist Tony Dunn, of whom Avantgarde Music released the overlooked, yet greatly crafted debut Ideals & Morality in december 2021. Two years later, the talented Scot is back with his sophomore opus, Traverse The Bealach, which he describes as follows.
“When I started the Sgàile project in 2018, and through the writing and recording of Ideals & Morality, I wasn’t sure that anyone would take to the style, or even care. This time around I knew I had a small audience that enjoyed what I was doing so I felt free to create from pure instinct. With that freedom came focus and direction, which led me to create a concept album, a venture that I had never previously attempted. What this did was create a driven narrative that brought a maturity to the Sgàile sound.
Through the recording process, there was a feeling of refinement, taking the lessons I learned from Ideals & Morality and carefully honing them to improve the overall production. Working with Mike Lamb (Sojourner, Remina) for a second time really helped to pin down the sonic quality that I was looking for. The story of Traverse The Bealach is that of a nomadic traveller in post-apocalyptic Scotland, trying to figure out his fate and facing the elements while travelling north, battling inner demons along the way. Thematically, the inspiration came from the events of the pandemic, our ongoing battle with climate change, and my fascination with long distance trekking.”
Sgàile’s new studio album will be out on CD on January 19th, 2024.
