PRE-SAVE LINK HERE
Los Angeles-based Americana/roots rocker and world musician Chris Murphy is excited to announce his new single ‘Clean Break’ on May 8th. The track is the first release from the forthcoming album Songs From The Trees – a collaboration with British folk royalty Seth Lakeman – due for release on July 3rd on Teahouse Records and distributed by Right Track Records / Universal. Chris will tour the UK in July, appearing as Artist at Large at the Maverick Festival and celebrating the album launch at The Betsey Trotwood on July 14.
Seth Lakeman brings a deep, nuanced understanding of British traditional music, with a passion for more contemporary and modern sounds, as he guides Chris’s lyrics and vocals – echoing Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, and Bob Dylan – into new, experimental, progressive-folk directions.
The first single, ‘Clean Break,’ introduces the album with a bluesy, foot-stomping energy. The track builds in intensity, featuring eerie violin, washboard, and banjo, with Chris’s gravelly vocals on full display.
Explaining the writing of the song, Chris says:
“Songs come to me in a series of dreams – driving down the highway late at night, watching the sun break over the Santa Monica Mountains, or riding my bicycle along a lonely stretch of beach.
My new song, ‘Clean Break,’ draws on the tough, sunbaked spirit of pre-war Texas blues artists like Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Mance Lipscomb. I’m drawn to songs with minimal harmonic movement – where the intensity builds through rhythm instead.”
‘Clean Break’ is the first track from the forthcoming album Songs From the Trees. Recorded in a 16th-century monastery in Plymouth, UK, the album is a striking seven-song collection that weaves together Peter Gabriel – influenced world rhythms, ancient maritime sea shanties, gothic Appalachian tones, Chris Murphy’s haunting, poetic lyrics, and ethereal, emotionally charged fiddle.
Murphy says:
“I was blown away by Seth’s power and beauty as a folk musician. I thought his records were very compelling and well-written, channeling something both ancient and modern. I love his approach to traditional melodies and themes, at the same time bringing something contemporary and relevant to the music.”
Born and raised in New York and now based in Los Angeles, Chris Murphy is a violinist, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who performs over 200 shows annually across the USA and Europe. His music – what he calls a “live film score”- explores love, loss, hope, and redemption, delivered with emotional depth and a charismatic stage presence.
Blending folk, jazz, classical, world, and ambient influences, Murphy’s performances are both captivating and highly versatile. Chris has announced EU tour dates in Italy (May), the Netherlands, and Belgium (June), followed by a UK tour in July, bringing Songs From the Trees to life. Catch Chris Murphy live in concert and experience a master musician at work.
CHRIS MURPHY SONGS FROM THE TREES TOUR – UK LIVE DATES
02/07/2026 – CAFE 9 – SHEFFIELD HERE
03 – 05/07/2026 – ‘ARTIST AT LARGE’ MAVERICK FESTIVAL (SUFFOLK) – HERE
07/07/2026 – THE GROVE – NOTTINGHAM – HERE
08/07/2026 – THE EXCHANGE – BRISTOL – HERE
09/07/2026 – THE TUPPENNY – SWINDON – HERE
10/07/2026 – THE ADELPHI CLUB – HULL – HERE
12/07/26 – HOUSE CONCERT – NORFOLK
13/07/2026 – THE BRUNSWICK – BRIGHTON – HERE
14/07/2026 – THE BETSEY TROTWOOD – LONDON ALBUM LAUNCH – HERE
16/07/2026 – CC’S MUSIC CELLAR – MARGATE – HERE
17/07/26 – EXETER PHOENIX – EXETER – HERE
19/07/2026 – SHOALS BREWERY – PORTHLEVEN – HERE
21/07/26 – REDWING GALLERY – PENZANCE – HERE
23/07/26 – WATCHET BOAT MUSEUM – WATCHET – HERE
24/07/26 – NEW STREET MARKET – WOODBRIDGE, SUFFOLK
25/07/26 – WHITE ROOM – DURHAM – HERE
26/07/26 – THE BATH HOTEL – SHEFFIELD – HERE
30/07/26 – BAND ON THE WALL – MANCHESTER – HERE
01/08/26 – THE THATCH – CROYDE – HERE
