Tarragon releases new album, ‘Home At Cofa’s’
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Tarragon has released his brand new single ‘Blueprint’, the latest song to be taken from his forthcoming second album Home At Cofa’s out May 1st . Following the success of the previous singles ‘Blueprint’ has once again been quickly supported by BBC Introducing and has started receiving plays across the West Midlands today.
‘Blueprint’ is a lush acoustic pop song tinged with shimmering guitars and glistening electronics played by Tarragon mastermind Callum Pickard. His bright optimistic vocals reflect the first stages of blossoming love, while a captivating bounce performed by Tame Impala drummer Julien Barbagallo propels the track.
Photo: Adele Mary Reed
Regarding the single Callum says, “‘Blueprint’ lives in the fragile, electric space of first love. It traces the thrill of early beginnings, where each moment becomes something to hold onto, where nothing is certain, but everything feels possible. It’s about learning in motion, about not having all the answers, but choosing to step forward anyway. The beauty of missteps, the courage in taking risks, and the way two people slowly begin to understand not only each other, but themselves in the process.”
The song has been produced, mixed and engineered by Callum, with additional production from the Latin-GRAMMY nominated Juan Ariza, while mastering engineers Greg Calbi (John Lennon, Lou Reed, Bruce Springsteen) and Steve Fallone (Pet Shop Boys, The Strokes, Kurt Vile) have put their finishing touches to the track.
These collaborators all worked together on previous single ‘Tucked In Despair’, a track which details the feeling of this relationship getting deeper and becoming used to the everyday feelings of that love.
‘Tucked In Despair’ is rich in Callum’s warped electronics, gentle guitar and piano tones, alongside minimalist percussion and drum programming. The song is bolstered by a beautiful brass section performed by Bon Iver’s CJ Camerieri (flugelhorn, french horn) and The 1975’s John Waugh (tenor saxophone). Additional percussion is performed by JT Bates of Big Red Machine as well as James McAlister (The National, Sufjan Stevens, Gracie Abrams) who also provides further electronics on the track.
Lead single ‘Kiss Me On The Line (feat. My Brightest Diamond)’ examines this relationship further, addressing the inner doubts and questions that arise when deciding if something is truly right for you. John Waugh also joins on this track, along with The War on Drugs’ Dave Hartley (bass) and Robbie Bennett (electronics), as well as Bobby Hawk (Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Taylor Swift) who plays strings and adds to their arrangement.
The singles have garnered strong backing with both receiving BBC Introducing plays. ‘Kiss Me On The Line’ became particularly highly championed as BBC Introducing Coventry’s Track Of The Week, while both songs have received support from The Independent among a wealth of further praise.
Painting by Kevin Duneman | Artwork by Callum Pickard
The forthcoming album Home At Cofa’s is a beautifully expansive and immersive record of ethereal indie electronica. While the music here is firmly the result of collaboration, the story of Home At Cofa’s - titled after the legendary Cofa’s Tree that gave Coventry its name - is all Callum’s. Fittingly, it’s a record all about belonging; how you fit into a city that sometimes feels like the wrong shape, how you move through life trying to adapt and grow with others, and what the notion of home means anyway.
Alongside this, Callum was funding the making of the record through a series of jobs as a Covid tester (which he details on ‘Reel Lives’), a Deliveroo cyclist and, now, a postman for the Royal Mail. All extremely public-facing roles that gave him a window into the full spectrum of Coventry life around him, and the people existing within it.
It’s this unique mix – slightly removed social observation and frontline immersion; solitary working but with a group of peripheral musicians around him – which makes Tarragon a truly intriguing proposition. On Home At Cofa’s, Pickard has found a way to communicate all of it in his own musical language. “It’s been a labour of love,” he says. “Even more than anything I’ve done before, with this album I wanted to go the extra mile.”