A Swedish singer/songwriter who returned to her colourful Manx roots is releasing her new EP recorded in the Isle of Man.
Hannah Lindqvist Kinrade may live a long way from the island but she believes she is related to celebrated local author Hall Caine while her grandfather allegedly fled the island after being accused of killing someone.
Hannah, a disabled 35-year-old mother of two, not only writes songs but is also a podcaster.
She visited the island between May 11 and May 16 to record an EP called ‘Murders and Melancholy’ after receiving a grant from the Isle of Man Arts Council.
Now, the EP is due to be released this week.
Hannah spent a few intense days at Ballagroove Recording Studios with Ben Watson on guitar and trumpet, Gyp Buggane on bass and Danny Kneale on drums while she performed vocals, piano and dulcitone.
She previously told Media Isle of Man: ‘I am the first person from my family to return to the Isle of Man since the 1980s. I have Scottish and Manx roots.
‘I studied singing and popular music at Perth College UHI in Scotland and have been writing songs and performing since childhood. I used to play violin and guitar, but pain in my hands unfortunately stopped me, so now I play the piano.
‘Because of my health I haven't been able to perform in a long time and even took a break from music, but in the last couple of years I've found my way back.’
Hannah had applied for arts council funding two years ago and had planned to come over last year but she suffered a setback in her health.
She suffers a genetic condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome - a group
On the EP Hannah explores her troubled family history and uses songwriting as a magnifying glass to interpret her family’s tumultuous past.
She said: ‘Murders and Melancholy is my take on the tragic and at times twisted stories of my ancestors, from murder and capital punishment as the result of an ill-fated love story to sinking ships during World War II.
‘From the generational curse of depression to the always present homesickness, Murders and Melancholy brings these variegated stories to the surface.’
The album has influences from both Swedish and Celtic folk music, indie pop, indie rock and experimental jazz.
Hannah said: ‘The suggestive and at times magical sound was created in the studio thanks to a room filled with different ideas and influences.’
The five track EP is a journey through the historical backbones that have inspired the songs ‘Run’, ‘Oh, Catherine’, ‘Hiraeth’, ‘Uskmouth’ and ‘Greeba’.
In ‘Oh, Catherine’ the Swedish folk tune Visa från Utanmyra is used with lyrics by 18th century writer Olof von Dalin mixed in with the newly written folk song about Catherine Kinrade – the last woman on Isle of Man to receive capital punishment in 1823.
Hannah previously said: ‘The project is called "Murders and Melancholy" and is a musical genealogy of sorts. My grandfather, Harold Kinrade, grew up in the Isle of Man but ran away in his early twenties because he allegedly killed someone although we don't know what really happened.
‘He ended up in a small town outside of Edinburgh where he met my grandmother.
‘They were both musicians, and started a family. My father (his son) moved to Sweden in the 60s and then I came along. We have a long history of mental health issues as well, that’s where the “Melancholy” comes from.’
Murders and Melancholy is out today (Thursday) which was recorded, mixed and mastered by Gyp Buggane at Ballagroove Studios. The cover art by Manx artist and photographer Mark Kinrade.