Continuing the fine work of their last full flagon outing on Shanty Punk – carry on Skinny Lister.

Release Date: 9th May 2025

Label: Xtra Mile Recordings

Format: CD / LP / digital

“‘Songs From The Yonder’ carries on where our last album – Shanty Punk – left off,” says Dan Heptinstall. Hallelujah to that. We considered their last album the proverbial return to form. Back to the heady days of Forge & Flagon with a non stop barrage of hearty songs.

ALL PRESENT AND CORRECT

Credit the Skinnies for having the nouse to record the core tracks live and leave unedited in an attempt to capture the live energy. An energy for which the band are so well known and to which we can testify. There are plenty of references back to their folk roots too. The classic Skinny themes are all present and correct. Expect drinking, travelling, drinking, the sea, more drinking and ploughing on in the face of adversity, to remain firmly nailed to the Songs From The Yonder masts. Any album that contains a song with the line “Been drunk for so long that I’m sober!” is fine by us. And that’s not even in Drinking Song. That would be “what we need right now’s another drinking song” and “what could possibly go wrong!?“

Those tried and trusted calling cards are totally evident on the classic Max Thomas accordion driven tracks like the yo-oh-oh and ahoy! singalong Yorkshire Belle, Bristol Bound and lead single Set Us Straight. There’s a frenetic punky drive to the defiant charge of Plough On. One that Frank Turner would enjoy joining Dan in belting out and for anyone Pogue-spotting, the Celtic swing, driven by “the wind in our rigging ” to the almost title track is the place to head.

CLARION CALL

Brave The Waves takes the traditional folk trope of “tomorrow I will see my lover again” and given a rollicking, double bass slapping and whistling . Prime goods for plenty of”hey-hey-hey“-ing but when it comes to picking personal faves, Back Into The Battle ticks all the boxes. Holding all the aces held by the likes of Ten Thousand Voices and Raise A Wreck, the clarion call to arms has an Arcade Fire/Wake Up stomp. It could even be the new We Will Rock You!

The bold and brassy is balanced out by the reflective highlights that always appear to pepper the Skinny catalogue. Sitting alongside Colours and Carry, you can add the Lorna Thomas led Tumbling Into Something. Also the rather sumptuous Dan and Lorna duet Everything.“It’s always nice to connect with that more contemplative side of our sound,” says Dan. It’s been a major part of what they’ve done since our first album and always handy to have a song or two up the sleeve for a breather in a hectic live set.

As a finale, Glass To Our Days encourages all us willing and able shanty punksters in the raising of a glass – could even be the bottom of George’s glass – and declare a good health.

Here’s Plough On:

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