The sounds of folk, bluegrass and country twist around each other as Claude Rains’ guitars, banjos and ukulele guitars go to work on top of the stomp of an infectious skiffle beat. Harmonicas wail and basslines walk up and around the room as we are introduced to a debut album simplistic in its beauty and strong with its stories. While the hum of the music sometimes hints at Americana, the heart and soul of Claude Rains was undeniably forged right here in New Zealand as we listen to tales of the seasons, love, and subtle political commentary on New Zealand society and the state of the world. The vocals of Murray Hewitt and Heather Weir float effortlessly across the understated musicianship of the Wellington trio. Sometimes separately, sometimes harmonising with each other, they collide with songs that rattle and dance like a southbound train or meander softly into the ether, leaving the gentle afterthought of folk music in the air. The album came about through the songwriting of Hewitt and to a lesser extent Weir. Hewitt having a slow time with work meant that he passed the time sitting beside the heater writing songs for a good portion of a long New Zealand winter. Once the two old friends had discovered each other’s music and decided to play it together they enlisted another old friend in Fur Patrol’s bassist Andrew Bain. It wasn’t long after that they began the recording of their self-titled album. This happened in November 2011 with the engineering and mixing skills of Lee Prebble (Phoenix Foundation, The Black Seeds, The Woolshed Sessions), and David Long (guitarist of The Muttonbirds and producer of Fur Patrol and Dave Dobbyn) adding his services as the album’s co-producer. Bain’s uncle Paul Trenwith – founding member of the legendary Hamilton County Bluegrass Band – came to the recording sessions to add dobro guitar and banjo. It fit perfectly with the sound the trio had created. Inspired by anything and everything from Free Wheelin' Bob Dylan, The Mountain Goats, The Front Lawn (whose song Claude Rains inspired the band’s name), Gillian Welch, family and friends, Claude Rains have made a memorable debut album with depth and sincerity. The album was self-released on June 30th 2012.