To be released 3rd November on Bella Union is the debut album “Ojalá” by Lost Horizons. Lost Horizons is the project by Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins, Bella Union label) and drummer Richie Thomas (Dif Juz, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Moose, Felt). “Ojalá” incorporates a well known cast of guest singers: Marissa Nadler, former Midlake frontman Tim Smith, Cameron Neal (Horse Thief), Leila Moss of The Duke Spirit and Ghostpoet, Beth Cannon, Ed Riman, Gemma Dunleavy, Phil McDonnell and Karen Peris of The Innocence Mission.

As usual with Raymonde also this project hosts a varied mix of influences including of course dreamy pop. You can listen to the project’s first tracks from the album below. The tracks are “The Places We’ve Been”, featuring Karen Peris on vocals, and “Frenzy Fear”, featuring Hilang Child on vocals.

Many will know Richie Thomas from his work with Raymonde in the eighties, the songs unfortunately remained in the demo stage. One collaboration survived, namely “Ivy And Neet”, found on This Mortal Coil’s second album “Filigree & Shadow” (1986), with Thomas adding saxophone to Raymonde’s improvised piano. After that Thomas toured with The Jesus And Mary Chain, Moose, Felt and, in the nineties with Cocteau Twins.

The songs for “Ojalá” find their origin in a four-days improvisation session the pair booked in an east London studio, with Raymonde on piano and Thomas on drums. Raymonde then added bass, guitar and occasional electronics at his home studio in Brighton, turning improvisation into songs, and a second four-day session was booked – the day that David Bowie suddenly died. As the songs took shape, Raymonde approached the singers. The result is a 15-track album.