Dear Araucaria by Thomas Ragsdale

I welcome the new year with a bittersweet EP made up entirely of treated guitar and piano recordings. Recorded at my home studio in Manchester, each track features the exact same elements, only arranged and treated differently.

Inspired originally by the heartbreaking passing of Reverend John Graham, aka Araucaria - The Guardian’s beloved crossword maker in 2013, I set out to record some music in tribute. I became fascinated with Graham’s life and work, especially the devotion he instilled in his followers, who were told the news of his condition through clues in his final puzzle.

Initially a one-off project, the EP was shelved to allow work on my soundtrack album ‘Bait’, but upon re-opening the work once more after the album had been released, the music took on a more personal tone, as a sudden death in my family prompted me to colour the music with my own experiences.

It's my first body of work not attached to a film or television project, ‘Dear Araucaria’ will be released on specially made cassette tape packages, complete with a vintage matchbox with dried petals and wrapped in black lace. The artwork features the ultimate tribute: a crossword printed on a postcard with nostalgic clues to decipher the track titles.

Tracklist