The British Americana, folk and classical collective Floyds Row is getting ready to release their second album The Carlisle Sessions on August 21st, 2026. We’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on a sneak preview and are ready to spill the record’s secrets!
“George Washington’s Favourite Cotillion” opens the five-track album with an artfully aged dance piece. Picture the lower decks of the Titanic, bustling with toothless fiddle players and giddy, twirling dancers crashing into pint-splashed tables. Soundtracking it all, a lightweight, upbeat folk song spilling from the fiddler’s fingers, an acoustic guitarist backlighting the melodies, and world percussionist serving an African twist, making the whole experience that extra bit special.
“Henry Martin” is its polar opposite – a dance ballad balancing drone tones with sparkling soprano vocals that venture through a picturesque tale. Operatic melodies illuminate an accordion base that builds and evolves into a pirate-like ambience. Imagine an old oak-panelled tavern throbbing with drunkards as the evening fades into starry night, and you’ve already caught the vibe.
“Jackaroe” offers a slightly more modern moment as acoustic guitar fingerpickings intertwine soprano lyrics telling a vivid story, the track more akin to the ‘60s folk pop greats until that unexpected percussion strikes again, easily separating Floyds Row from the bulk of Americana-folk artists on the scene today. It’s just the right touch of experimentalism while paying true homage to the classics, and we personally can’t get enough.
“Maiden Lane / Kettle Drum” threads Irish instrumentation through a composition picking up hints of Bach and Mozart; a fresh edge of excitement rising as Floyds Row’s instrumentalists steal the spotlight and plant a stellar drum solo in the medley’s midst.
“The Song of Robin Hood and his Huntsmen” wraps up The Carlisle Sessions with a ‘60s-style folk pop piece inspired by much more ancient eras, the band reviving oral tradition as the Robin Hood story is brought to life for the next generation.
This entire record spawned from a series of concerts held at the University of Oxford, exploring the connections between early classical, folk, newgrass and world genres. It features soprano singer Emily Noël; Asako Takeuchi on violin; George Lykogiannis on the accordion; Chris Ferebee on cittern, guitar and mandolin; Andrew Arceci on viola and upright bass and, finally, George Lemis on percussion.
Put together, this album is an absolute adventure through a timewarped soundscape, each track as addictive and immersive as the last as Floyds Row crafts moods and visions a lifetime away from our modern age, tailoring them to sound just as enchanting as in centuries past.
Our final verdict? Highly recommended.
BELOW: Listen to Floyds Row and check out their music online. Please support Floyds Row by visiting their website and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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