Rae Morris’s new album Rachel@Fairyland is released today on RCA Records. The exquisite, heart-warming album arrives after the release of singles ‘No Woman Is An Island’, ‘Go Dancing’ and final teaser, ‘A Table For Two’ just last week, in anticipation of the album release.

This third album from the supremely and naturally talented Rae is both a homecoming and a rebirth; a tender and staggeringly original record about finding solace in familiarity, as much as it is a celebration of defiantly embracing the unknown. Written and recorded after parting ways with her label of eight years – and prior to signing with RCA – Rachel@Fairyland is also the sound of the Blackpool-born star exploring her artistry utterly unfettered for the first time since she was discovered, in her mid-teens.

Having spent the last few years creating a cocoon for herself with both her actual and musical family – this album was written and recorded at home in North London with her partner Fryars alongside their close friend Sean O’Hagan of The High Llamas and Stereolab, whom Morris fondly refers to as “the third wheel in our relationship”.  Amidst integral new found creative freedoms, the album she always wanted to make was born out of this new sonic world the three of them created, with Rae at the helm, steering the whole process with inhibition and integrity.

The record then had a process of additional production and mixing with Shawn Everett (Kacey Musgraves, Adele, The War on Drugs, SZA) in his LA studio. Here he added the magic dust by finessing the sound through his analogue gear to accentuate the nostalgic glow of Morris and Garrett’s original recordings. “We knew we wanted the record to sound like an old film, and he was the only man for the job.”

With this trusted support network in place, Morris was free to explore her vision uninhibited, and set about blending “very textual, modern hi-fi music with strings and orchestral sounds”, while pulling inspiration from an eclectic array of source material. Alongside the music of Jon Brion, Björk, Minnie Riperton, Joanna Newsom, Morris looked to the sound-world of her hometown, from the postcard jollity of the Pleasure Beach and the nostalgic grandeur of the Tower Ballroom to the gentle ebb and flow of waves lapping on the shore. Cinematic and otherworldly, while remaining deeply human, it’s a truly transportive set, and one that radiates an evocative warmth.

In the world of Rachel@Fairyland, imagined landscapes are every bit as vital as physical ones. “I’ve always been into magical things,” Morris explains. Named after Morris’ MSN handle as a child, it’s a collection with a brilliantly fantastical edge, be that phantasmagorical arrangements to songs setting dinner dates on clouds (‘A Table For Two’). It’s a wildly romantic record too, peppered with songs examining the early days of Morris and Garrett’s relationship, from ‘Skyscraper Love’ and ‘Morning Isn’t Morning’ to ‘Go Dancing’, and ‘Better Man’.

With its vivid snapshots of internal and external worlds, and bold, risk-taking arrangements, Rachel@Fairyland is testament to Morris’ renewed confidence as a songwriter; Rae writes full hearted songs brimming with love that address the complexities of modern life, new motherhood and an untangling of previous experiences in the music industry. Every challenge Rae has faced in her story has ultimately helped shape her personal and creative development and it’s this very journey you can hear on Rachel@Fairyland, a truly exceptional record mingling magic and memory that speaks to the child Morris once was and the woman she’s become.