FLIP SIDE | VINYL RECORD (LP)

Fink, There's no such thing as a finished version of a song; the "studio album" version simply marks the point where the producer finally claps their hands and says, "Enough!" Few acts believe in this doctrine as much as Fink. For each of their last six albums, Fink has gone back to the studio to capture alternative, acoustic readings of their latest record. Frontman Fin Greenall has often gone further, creating adventurous remixes of the latest set. "Our songs change quite dramatically over time," says Greenall. "As soon as we play a song live, it alters. Always for the better... sometimes we completely forget what the album version sounds like. Also, I often don't realise what a song is really about until I start singing it night after night." Returning to the studio therefore oKers a unique opportunity to capture additional depth and meaning. This time, Fink have swapped the Cornish idyll where they recorded the original version of Beauty In Your Wake for the historic analogue paradise of Lowswing studio in Kreuzberg, Berlin: a vibey, equipment-filled den that has previously hosted Nick Cave and Die Krupps, among others. Here, Greenall together with longtime cohorts Tim Thornton and Guy Whittaker, deconstructed the songs and started from scratch, playing the eventual versions completely live over three snowy days, January 2025. The results are earthy, adventurous, captivating. The stripped-down "What Would You Call Yourself" gains a widescreen, northern-European cool... a delicate rendition of "One Last Gift" benefits from a glistening, experimental mix from producer Guy Sternberg... The stately, unresolved "When I Turn This Corner" finds new depth and soul... "The Only Thing That Matters" acquires a spontaneity and warmth, honed from dozens of performances on the road.