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Folk-Pop Trio The Burnt Pines Unveil Their New Album ‘Don’t Look Down’

Folk-Pop trio The Burnt Pines soar again with the release of ‘Don’t Look Down,’ their affecting sophomore album, available now via CEN/The Orchard.

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The Burnt Pines in 2022, photo by Rui Major

Folk-Pop trio The Burnt Pines, comprised of singer and lyricist Kris Skovmand, instrumentalist and arranger Aaron Flanders on guitar and banjo, and piano, keyboard player and arranger Miguel Sá Pessoa, soar again with the release of Don’t Look Down, their affecting sophomore album, available now via CEN/The Orchard.

With the trio’s core lineup consisting of members based in both the U.S. and Portugal (3187 miles apart), they have skillfully and beautifully demonstrated, in both logistics and craft, the challenges, both professional and deeply personal, a stunning burst of musical creativity, paving the way for Don’t Look Down.

Featuring 11 original tracks and the final salvo, an exuberant take on the Jethro Tull classic “Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of the New Day),” the bulk of the LP’s lyrics were penned by Skovmand, the group’s Danish-born lead singer, who was separated, and eventually divorced, during the process of writing and recording the album. Skovmand, also an accomplished filmmaker, is the father of four sons, who make memorable appearances in the official videos the singer shot.

From the opening cut, the spritely “Bring Out Your Book,” to the propulsive title track “Don’t Look Down,” to the jangly sun-streaked glisten of “Pushing On” and fizzy Jazz-tinged pop of “The Ghost Living in My Beer,” through tunes shaded with darker tones, such as “What Did You Come Back For?” and the heart-rending “Daytime TV,” Skovmand’s ethereal vocals and self-assured approach to his subject matter is distinguished by refreshing candour, marked throughout by, as guitarist Aaron Flanders often characterizes them, the singer’s “achingly gorgeous” vocals.

The new collection follows the 2021 release of their self-titled debut, which spent 11 weeks on the AMA/CDX Top 50 Americana Album Chart and earned a Top 10 spot on the prestigious Roots Music Report’s Best Albums of 2021 year-end list alongside Ed Sheeran, Valerie June, Adele, Amythyst Kiah, Lord Huron and Olivia Rodrigo. The new set immediately raced up the Americana Radio Chart, on the heels of Top 30, while holding steady at #1 on the Roots Music Report Singer-Songwriter Chart.

Celebrated as “sublime… an album flush with a delicate folk rock glow, a quiet caress one might find while nestled by a fire on a chilly winter’s night” [Goldmine], the critical and commercial success of their debut has paved the way for Don’t Look Down, the brilliant second album from the polycultural, globe-spanning outfit.

Artwork for the album ‘Don’t Look Down’ by The Burnt Pines

Artwork for the album ‘Don’t Look Down’ by The Burnt Pines

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