Second outing for The Third Space. Poppy melodies, jangly guitars, three-part harmonies and wry observational vignettes. Music for grown-ups with an indie pop sensibility. Witty, quirky, but accessible.

This album overlapped with the first album (“Songs of the Feet”) like a kind of temporal Venn diagram. The difference is that the songs on the

Second outing for The Third Space. Poppy melodies, jangly guitars, three-part harmonies and wry observational vignettes. Music for grown-ups with an indie pop sensibility. Witty, quirky, but accessible.

This album overlapped with the first album (“Songs of the Feet”) like a kind of temporal Venn diagram. The difference is that the songs on the first album were old songs (some touched up and modernised in, 2013), whilst the songs on this album are newer songs.

Like its predecessor (the debut album "Songs Of The Feet"), the songs on this second outing started off life as kernels of Henk songs, which Joe nurtured over time and polished into the true collaborations the songs became.

Most of the songs were written from May to the end of August 2013, in Paddington, London, where I (Henk) was living at the time.

The first album’s title (“Songs of the Feet”) was a pun. So too, this title, “Losing With Grace”. It was a phrase I had talked to my (then) fifteen year old son, Willem, about in connection with football. And an idea that I consider important. To retain dignity even in defeat. (I sometimes like to think of this as an apt motto for life).

But the phrase could also be applied if you play a competitive game (like football) with a girl called Grace on your team, and then you subsequently lose. Then you are also “Losing With Grace”. My dear friends Jeff and Carrie Gothelf have a two daughters – Sophie and Grace. I remember making that joke with Sophie in Fish! Restaurant in Borough Market, London, one evening, when they were over here visiting. And just liked that ambiguity.

The themes of the songs are love, finitude, and politics.

Love is covered in songs like “Entertaining Others” (loss in love), “Love Defined” (which a friend of Henk’s once described as “…what a Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd would sound like if they did doo-wap…”) and “When You Were Kids” (about parental love for their children).

Finitude is the theme of “Stephen Amongst Violets” (about the death of a friend’s brother); “Choices”, “Gone (the light you are)” and closer “Song For Angus” (about the death of Joe’s nephew).

Politics are covered in opener “Papers” (decrying voter apathy) and “Country Song” (about America)

The album is dedicated to Joe’s nephew, Angus Ellis, who tragically died on May 09, 2013, aged just 29. I had just started thinking about new songs to write (after the first album) and the eery penultimate track, “Gone (The Light You Are)”, a song about Angus’ life, was the first song to be written. The Joe-penned closing track “Song for Angus” says it all.

May you rest in peace, Angus.

Track listing:

1) Papers 2) Entertaining Others 3) Chemical Boy 4) Love Defined 5) When You Were Kids 6) Stephen Amongst Violets (From Memory) 7) Choices 8) (Just Another) Country Song 9) The Irony Blues 10) Gone (The Light You Are) 11) Song For Angus

Drums: Max Saidi Drum Programming: Joe Farthing Bass: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Will Manwaring Guitar: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede; Will Manwaring Keys: Joe Farthing; Will Manwaring Harmonica: Joe Farthing Slide guitar + violin: Pro Studios Vocals: Joe Farthing; Hendrik Kleinsmiede

Produced by: Kevin Paul