Release started life as a live commission for Glasgow based international music festival Celtic Connections in 2017. Scottish harper and singer Fraya Thomsen composed the music in a basement in East London, channeling a plethora of idealist themes into three movements. At the time, the piece was titled Community and Stardust – a reflection on our individual human scale and the importance of interconnectivity. In response to practicalities,
Release was recorded in musicians' homes and studios across the UK in 2020 during the pandemic. The musicians, who had originally devised and performed the piece, have generously contributed their diverse spread of musical backgrounds and flare to the identity of the album. Sarah Allen's punchy rhythmic alto flute, Shanti Jayasinha's soaring flugelhorn, and Colett O'Leary's lilting accordion are all a part of Fraya's teenage musical landscape, a formative time when she realised that she must keep making music.
Louise McMonagle (cello), James Maddren (Drums/percussion) and Cameron Maxwell (bass) have brought a wealth of passion and musicality to the album. Artist Lucy Cash has written the lyrics to one of the songs on the album and has been an inspiring sounding board along the way.