The Tangent recently announced the release of the new studio album ‘To Follow Polaris’ on May 10th, 2024. Here, Andy Tillison talks about the new album ‘To Follow Polaris’, how he made the new album on his own, and calling it The Tangent (For One).
For the full audio click the podcast link or download the podcast on
Apple · Google· Stitcher · PodBean • Spotify
Subscribe to the podcast to automatically receive future podcast episodes.
In a year when members of The Tangent could be seen onstage all over the world with Steve Hackett, Soft Machine, Karnataka, David Cross, It Bites, Cyan and others, plus on recordings by those artists and The Anchoret, The Michael Dunn Project, Argos and Retreat From Moscow, it became clear that there was not going to be time to get together for anything more than one gig in April 2023.
So the band agreed that the band’s leader/main writer Andy Tillison would keep the material coming and would make an album by The Tangent entirely alone. It would still be The Tangent. Just for one.
“Besides Which” Andy says, “I’ve always wanted to do this, use what I have learned from Luke, Jonas, Steve, Theo and many other alumni and take it to final production. Now was the time!”
What transpired over the following year is in one sense an “absolutist” solo album and is entirely the work of one person in all aspects including artwork, layout, design, lyrics, composition, performance, recording, production, mixing, mastering and authoring. But in another sense it’s totally Tangent. “I could not have begun to make this record without having had the experiences of working with the band. So although the different instruments are not attempted to be played in the actual style of the normal lineup, they are inspired by the kind of things these guys do”
‘To Follow Polaris’ will be available as a Limited Deluxe Collector’s Edition CD Mediabook (including bonus track and extensive 24-page booklet, Gatefold 180g 2LP vinyl (also including bonus track), & as Digital Album.
Pre-order now here: https://thetangent.lnk.to/ToFollowPolaris
1. The North Sky 11:36
2. A ‘Like’ In The Darkness 08:19
3. The Fine Line 08:04
4. The Anachronism 21:01
5. The Single (From A Re-Opened Time Capsule) 05:51
6. The North Sky (Radio Edit) 03:42
7. Tea At Bettys (Bonus Track) 17:32