Fragments + The New Normal

Kscope presents Trifecta - 'Fragments + The New Normal', a special 2CD collection bringing together the band's first two albums: the acclaimed 2021 debut 'Fragments' & it's highly anticipated follow-up 'The New Normal'. Featuring three of the contemporary music scene's most revered instrumentalists - Nick Beggs, Adam Holzman & Craig Blundell - this set is an essential document of a group whose fearless fusion of progressive rock, jazz, funk & eccentric English humour has earned them a cult following. Formed during downtime while touring together in Steven Wilson's band, Trifecta began as spontaneous post-soundcheck jams that quickly evolved into fully formed compositions. Their debut album 'Fragments' captured the spark of those sessions, leaning into bold jazz-rock fusion & showcasing the trio's virtuosic interplay. Largely instrumental, the album also features the wonderfully mischievous single "Pavlov's Dog Killed Schrödinger's Cat," written, in Beggs' words, "from the perspective of a layman trying to understand quantum mechanics... & failing." Recorded individually in their home studios, 'Fragments' was mixed by Holzman in New York & mastered by Andy VanDette (Rush, David Bowie, Porcupine Tree, Beastie Boys). With 'The New Normal', Trifecta push their musical universe even further into surreal, exploratory & playfully genre-warping territory. Combining progressive rock, jazz fusion & a particularly British sense of the absurd, the album invites listeners into a world where rhythm bends, sound mutates & vegetables may possess supernatural traits - see the kaleidoscopic "Stroboscopic Fennel." Recorded between 2019-2023 in Leighton Buzzard, Bedford & New York, the album features guest appearances from Alex Lifeson (Rush / Envy of None) on "Once Around The Sun With You" & Theo Travis (Steven Wilson) on the insectoid groove of "Daddy Long Legs." Adding a unique historical thread, Beggs also performs using John Paul Jones' original 1979 Chapman Stick, loaned to him for the sessions. The album was engineered by the band, mastered by Andy VanDette & visually brought to life with artwork inspired by an idea from Hajo Müller. Across these two albums, Trifecta showcase a unique, evolving musical identity - one based on boundary-pushing creativity, mischievous experimentation & the collective intuition of three masterful performers. Whether gliding through intricate jazz-fusion passages or conjuring sonic worlds where the rules feel delightfully optional, Beggs, Holzman & Blundell deliver a sound that is as technically impressive as it is joyfully unpredictable.