In These Trees and Loudboy: ‘Simone’

There’s a new single out from In These Trees - this one a collaboration between Binnie Klein and John ‘Loudboy’ Andrews, with the gorgeous voice of Sarah Fimm.

Simone is a stunning evocation of the philosopher and intellectual Simone de Beauvoir. It’s the work of poet, writer and musician Binnie Klein (AKA In These Trees) together with composer, guitarist and producer John ‘Loudboy’ Andrews’. The result is a lovely arrangement with luscious strings and a particularly sonorous cello

I interviewed Binnie in 2021 for episode 88 of Harmonious World in which we discussed her music, released as In These Trees. 

Binnie says: “Loudboy was the key to the production. We both admired storytellers like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. I knew I wanted strings and Loudboy’s guitar and when I pictured Simone hiking in the French countryside and also sitting in the smoky cafés and salons of Paris in the 1940s, I heard accordion. Loudboy suggested multi-instrumentalist Anne de Wolff and she created string and accordion parts for us recorded remotely in Germany. Simone came together, merging chamber folk, indie pop and the feel of a traditional Celtic storytelling ballad; with a rocking guitar solo from Loudboy and the amazing, emotional vocals of Sarah Fimm.”

You can find ‘Simone’ on Bandcamp