James Yorkston, Nina Persson & the Second Hand Orchestral Share Delicate New Single “An Upturned Crab”

Last month, James Yorkston, Nina Persson and the Second Hand Orchestra announced that they were working together on a new album. The Great White Sea Eagle is set to release on January 13, but in the meantime, the group has offered us a little peek into what awaits us next year. After sharing their first single, “Hold Out For Love,” they have now released “An Upturned Crab.” Watch the song’s live rendition featuring Radiohead’s Philip Selway below:

The above track explores regret from the angle of missing pivotal moments in one’s family life. In that spirit, Yorkston and Persson sing the following from deep within: “I made a life on the road, and I thought I was doing grand / But the gold remained at home, and I missed watching you grow.”

Work on The Great White Sea Eagle began last year when Yorkston began composing on the piano for the first time in his life while looking at the sea outside his Cellardyke studio window. Though the record can be characterized as breezy and light, a dark and humurous undertone lingers beneath the surface, helping the singers put across a message about life, grief, family and nature. The upcoming album follows the release of Yorkston’s second novel, The Book of the Gaels, which was named “Book of the Month” in The Times.

Upcoming live dates
December 9 – Claypath Delicatessen, Durham
December 10 – The Railway, Winchester
December 11 – Florence Park Community Centre, Oxford
December 12 – Kitchen Garden, Birmingham
December 13 – The Smokehouse, Ipswich
December 16 – Rönnells Antikvariat, Stockholm
December 17 – Folk Å Rock, Malmö
February 1 – The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
February 3 – Summerhall, Edinburgh
February 4 – Celtic Connections, Glasgow
February 5 – Future Yard, Birkenhead
February 6 – Jazz Café, London
February 7 – YES, Manchester
February 8 – The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge
February 9 – Warwick Arts Centre, Warwick
February 10 – Louisiana, Bristol
February 11 – St Stephens in the High Street, Exeter
February 12 – Komedia Theatre, Brighton

Karan Singh: I am an Indian American music journalist based in Los Angeles. My interests include (but aren't limited to) hip-hop, punk, rhythm & blues, rock and traditional world music. After working in the publishing industry as a copy editor for nearly three years, I decided to switch professions and become a writer. I have a bachelor's degree in English from UC Santa Cruz and a master's degree in Specialized Journalism from the University of Southern California. My aim as a writer is to explore the forces that energize creativity. I've always felt a natural pull toward the arts and entertainment space, and my stories seek to magnify the facets of its adjoining cultures.
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