Trust Fund
Has It Been A While?
Trust Fund, the musical project of singer-songwriter Ellis Jones, returns this year with a fifth album, Has It Been A While?, recorded earlier this year in Sheffield by producer and close friend Joe Mackenzie Todd. Fans of Jones delicate, funny, relatable songwriting will know that yes, it has been a while. His last album was released six years ago. The 2018 LP Bringing the Backline - which received praise from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and more - coincided with Jones calling time on Trust Fund, as band members began their own families, and he moved to Norway (and then on to Canada) to begin a career in academia. As he puts it: "I turned thirty, I moved away, and I thought, I guess I dont do that anymore". His return reflects a realisation that his music-making days continue to stretch out before him, and marks the development of a mature style that offers both continuity and change. While previous Trust Fund albums have foregrounded a fuzzy, indie-rock aesthetic, on Has It Been A While? Jones strips his songs down to classical guitar and vocals, supported by captivating string quartet arrangements provided by Maria Grig. Trust Funds lyrical dexterity remains, and is showcased here on tracks such as The Mirror (a duet with Radiant Hearts Celia MacDougall), whose vainglorious protagonist would gladly "use the mirror as TV".