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ROSY TIN TEACADDY: The Homeward Stretch

Billy Earl and Betty Grey are Rosy Tin Teacaddy, hailing from Wellington. Since the release of their debut record ‘Blind Leading the Blind’, the duo (really Andy Hummel and Holly Jane Ewens), along with various band members, have shared stages with luminaries such as Jose Gonzalez, Iron & Wine and Chris Knox. Their second album is packed to the brim with interesting rhythms, skilful musicianship and vocals that wrap around each other. Recorded with Lee Prebble at The Surgery over five days, ‘The Homeward Stretch’ is full of indie-folk and almost alt-country sing-a-longs, including other locals such as Prebble on lapsteel guitar and Rhian Sheehan on glockenspiel. While enjoyable on first hearing, it takes a few more listens to pick up the intricacies – the rhythmic, polka-inspired piano accordion on Braille, the subtle and lovely harmonic dissonances on Crosswords and Mercy, and the rich layers of acoustic guitars and cello on Pickle Pot. The pair have well-suited voices, but Betty Grey shines on the beautiful Deliverance, which also has Prebble’s stunning lapsteel work to recommend it. ‘The Homeward Stretch’ is an intriguing album, one well worth hunting down.

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