This heist began with frustrations about the one before, Stace recounts: “We'd intended the previous album Late Style to be the most elegant record released during a rather scruffy time, but COVID necessitated all the contributing musicians to record in isolation in locations around the country without the espirit de corps that infuses performances by people playing together in real time in the same space. The prime motive here was to go one better, to arrange the songs first, then record them as a band, playing live in the studio, to let it be a ‘players’ record, allowing for expressive solos, room to relax a little. Studio 1935 is open plan, very welcoming, not lots of little isolated booths, so we were all able to congregate and converse.”

The sound is expansive, generous, lush, even groovy, by turns mellow and dramatic, a far cry from Stace’s strummy folk-rock records of yore. What’s happened? “There’s no reason why my songs shouldn’t swing like I want them to, despite all their words, like those CTI and Kudu records I listen to in the kitchen. Check out Esther Phillips doing Gilbert O’Sullivan. Why not?