 Third album by Retreat From Moscow since they reformed in 2016 having been active 1979-1982.
Format: CD / Cat No: WKRFMCD1025 / PRE-ORDER Release Date: 07/11/2025
Track Listing: 1. The Illusion Of Choice / 2. Earth-Stepper / 3. Bones Will Sing / 4. Navigators Of The Trym / 5. Polina / 6. Snowfall Road / 7. Black Mist
More information: The core line-up of John Harris, Andrew Raymond, Tony Lewis and Greg Haver released their debut album The World As We Knew It in 2021, a record that was 40-years in the making, followed by their sophomore album Dreams, Myths and Machines in 2023.
The Illusion Of Choice features special guest appearances by Christina Booth (Magenta) as the voice of the harp on Bones Will Sing, and American vocalist Jillian Slade on the song Polina. Recorder player Les Penning, famous for his work with Mike Oldfield, guests on Earth-Stepper. Penning also produced the first Retreat From Moscow recordings back in 1978!
Having been unable to work collectively on the Dreams, Myths and Machines album due to the pandemic, the band made a conscious decision to spend time together on The Illusion of Choice, with writing sessions starting with a week of experimentation in a Cardiff rehearsal room, a method often used in the early days of the band. This led to a collection of longer songs, often touching on darker subjects reflecting the current state of the world. For a band named after a famous conflict, Napolean’s Retreat from Moscow in 1812, the subject of the current ‘special operation’ in Ukraine is examined in the songs Polina and Snowfall Road. The album also draws on themes of Anglo-Saxon mythology, behavioural manipulation and the story of bass player Tony Lewis’s near-death experience as a teenager on Navigators of the Trym.
Recordings took place from late 2024 at Powerplay Studios in Maur, Switzerland and Longwave Studios in Cardiff with co-producer Clint Murphy (Enter Shikari, Those Damn Crows, Thunder) once again at the helm. Murphy mixed the album at his CJM Studios in New Zealand, with mastering by Ryan Smith (The Black Keys, Greta Van Fleet, AC/DC) at Sterling Sound in Nashville.
Line-up: John Harris (guitars, harp, keyboards, Roland GR300 guitar synth, mandolin, flute, vocals) / Andrew Raymond (keyboards, Steinway grand piano, guitar, pedal steel guitar) / Tony Lewis (Wal Bass, Wal fretless bass, backing vocals) / Greg Haver (drums, percussion)
Special Guests: Christina Booth (vocals on Bones Will Sing) / Jillian Slade (vocals on Polina) / Les Penning (recorders on Earth-Stepper)
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