Jack Savoretti released his debut studio album, Between the Minds, back in 2007 and the album peaked at number 5 in the UK Indie Chart. His following albums went from strength to strength as he pulled on influences of Americana, folk, indie and rock. 2015’s Written in Scars peaked at number 7 in the UK Albums Chart and 2016’s Sleep No More landed at number 6. Jack’s 2019 record Singing to Strangers earned him the top spot in the UK Albums Chart and has amassed over 65 million streams globally.
The foundations for Jack Savoretti’s eagerly anticipated seventh studio album Europiana were laid within the writing and recording process of Singing to Strangers. Whereas the 2019 number one album was recorded in Ennio Morricone’s studio in Rome, Europiana was produced in more constructed in more casual settings.
Writing sessions took place at Jack Savoretti’s home in Oxfordshire in between lockdowns last year when he and his band were able to create the world of Europiana. Not only is Europiana the name of the record, but it is also a term coined to capture the spirit of the songs and the sun-soaked influences they absorb.
Blessed with the weather that last summer brought, Jack Savoretti took influence from these moments of refuge with friends and family to produce a record which the term Europiana encapsulates. Long summer nights spent with loved ones with good food and chilled rosé just about sums up the process that inspired Jack Savoretti. With throwbacks to summers spent in Italy and other parts of Europe mixed with the appreciation of his family relationships, Savoretti presents Europiana in the same way that Lana Del Rey presents the modern concept of Americana.
Following the writing sessions, the album was recorded at Abbey Road where Jack Savoretti was joined by his longstanding band as well as newcomer and friend Gizmo Varillas who helped to provide new directions in terms of rhythm and groove. The striking string sections throughout the album were arranged by violinist and close friend Phil Granell. Nile Rodgers and John Oates brought their experience to the project with Rodgers featuring on the disco-fuelled Who’s Hurting Who and Oates providing guitar and backing vocals on the lush When You’re Only.