Comprised of a father, son and record producer, Tumbler is the three-piece Epsom band marrying folk with modern rock. Where their widely acclaimed debut album You Said kept to a relatively unchanging formula of plucky acoustic guitars and safely homespun tunes, the band’s latest work ventures into new territories.

Come to the Edge is Tumbler’s 12-track sophomore album. The record enlists two lead vocalists, at times fronted by father Richard Grace’s aged-like-fine-wine vocals and at other times led by his son Harry’s contemporary energy. Come to the Edge shifts between instances of folk, alt-rock and a combination of the two: track one ‘Black Sheep’ embodies the latter. Opening with a bluesy groove and violins, the song soon edges into an overdriven, Black Keys-esque number that’s full of grit and gutsiness. It’s a strong album opener, and immediately sets the blueprint attitude for much of the record to follow. 

Where Richard Grace’s voice draws resemblance to Ray Davies in the present day, his son, Harry, sings with the same sense of restlessness as Davies’ younger self. ‘Falling’ is perhaps the album’s furthest step away from folk, with its ambitious, string-adorned chorus and high-rising lead guitar lines throughout: “All these individual moments are just components that all lead back to you”. More humble tracks like ‘Winter Cold Heart’ and ‘Joanne’ take the album in a far different direction, one that brings Simon & Garfunkel to mind. 

Come to the Edge is an eclectic record, but its strong sense of identity keeps each varied track feeling relevant within the space of a single record.

Come to the Edge is available from Amazon & iTunes.

Tumbler are a British band harking back to the simplicity of an acoustic guitar to make pastoral, countryside-reminiscent folk music. The father-and-son act comprised of Richard Grace and his son, Harry hail from the small town Epsom and it was here that they met Dave Needham. Needham runs a tiny recording studio out of a shed that used to be part of an old stable block, a setup that’s seen UK ‘70s hit-maker David Essex record within its walls. It was from this homespun studio that Tumbler recorded, You Said.

You Said is 12-tracks of humble folk music that’s at times adorned with the slightest hint of psychedelia and while these might sound like totally disparate influences, Tumbler manage to make them gel through the art of subtlety. ‘Moments (She Reappears)’ opens the album with a quilted soundscape of percussion, distant whirring electronics and lush harmonies. In its quirkiness the song ends up being a fun number and thanks to strong melodies throughout, it’s also infectiously catchy. ‘Don’t Think Twice (She Says)’ trades electronics for keyboards to create a jaunty folk-rock sound while, as its name suggests, ‘Businessman Blues’ sees the band crank their electric guitars for the shuffling blues track. Arriving at the second half of the album, ‘Dennis and Jean’ sways with a gentle lullaby feel as Richard Grace sings: “Sixty years, it’s quite a time/To share each day, to share a life. The story begins not long after the war/She’s there alone, he’s helping her at the door.” The track features occasional entrances of swelling violins and twinkling triangles, creating a blissful setting that perfectly fits Grace’s simple, storytelling way of lyricism. 

Tumbler doesn't stretch to be experimental. Instead, they write within the comfortable confines of simple folk and blues music and every once in a while spices the tunes with a little something extra; the result is an album that’s charming and endearingly down to earth.

You Said is available from Amazon & iTunes