UK duo, Penelope Isles will release their sophomore album Which Way To Happy on November 5th, via Bella Union. Ahead of the release, they have shared the single “Terrified.” As frontman Jack Wolter explains: “It’s about those days when you’re dying inside but have to pop out to the shop, bumping into someone, having to put on a magic show, pretending to appear that everything is OK. It’s a song that has such a happy-fun-summery exterior but lyrically is totally the opposite. It’s one of self-doubt, displacement and finding something really terrifying to handle. Sometimes we hide a lot behind ourselves. ‘Terrified’ was an outlet for me to be able to tackle scary thoughts and worries in more of an abstract way. Things can seem impossible to talk about and articulate sometimes. I feel that making this album has enabled me and my sister Lily to open up a lot more and be honest with our songs as it just makes them so much more real.” Which Way To Happy is the follow up to Penelope Isles’ 2018 debut Until The Tide Creeps In. It was produced by Jack, mixed by Dave Fridmann, and will be released on November 5th via Bella Union.

Jack and Lily spent much of 2019 driving through Europe and America with their bandmates, and, like many, felt everything was falling apart when COVID-19 put their upcoming plans to a halt. The duo, dealing with their own respective romantic heartaches, and coping with the loss of two band members who were replaced with Henry Nicholson, Joe Taylor, and Hannah Feenstra who contributed during recording, (“A godsend after a low time,” says Lily) were staying in a small cottage in Cornwall to start work on the new album when lockdown began. Claustrophobia kicked in, existential anxiety over the pandemic permeated everything, and emotions ran high. “We were there for about two or three months, ultimately,” says Jack. “It was a tiny cottage and we all went a bit bonkers, and we drank far too much, and it spiralled a bit out of control. There were a lot of emotional evenings and realisations, which I think reflects in the songs. Writing and recording new music was a huge part of the recovery process for all of us.”

Penelope Isles
Which Way To Happy
Bella Union

1. Terrified
2. Rocking At The Bottom
3. Play It Cool
4. Iced Gems
5. Sailing Still
6. Miss Moon
7. Sudoku
8. Have You Heard
9. Pink Lemonade
10. 11 11
11. In A Cage

Penelope Isles
Live Dates

11/20/21 – London – Shacklewell Arms
11/24/21– Bristol – Exchange
11/25/21 – Cambridge – Portland Arms
11/26/21 – Manchester – Gullivers
11/27/21 – Chester – St. Marys
12/10/21 – Brighton – Concorde 2

2022:
1/18/22 – Bristol – Rough Trade (in store)
1/20/22 – London – Rough Trade East (in store)
1/21/22 – Brighton – Resident Music (in store)
1/22/22 – Guernsey – St. James
1/25/22 – Guildford – The Boileroom
1/26/22– Cardiff – Clwb Ifor Bach
1/27/22 – Southsea – Pie & Vinyl (signing)
1/27/22 – Portsmouth – The Loft
1/28/22– Reading – Face Bar
1/29/22 – Nottingham – Bodega
1/30/22– Leicester – The Musician
2/1/22– Birkenhead – Future Yard
2/3/22 – Dublin – The Sound House
2/4/22 – Galway – Roisin Dubh
2/5/22 – Limerick – Kasbah Social Club
2/8/22 – Manchester – Low Four
2/9/22 – Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
2/10/22 – Bath – Moles
2/11/22 – Exeter – Cavern
2/12/22 – Falmouth – The Cornish Bank
2/16/22 – York – Fulford Arms
2/17/22 – Newcastle – Cluny 2
2/18/22– Glasgow – Hug & Pint
2/20/22 – Blackpool – Central Library
2/22/22 – Hare & Hounds
2/23/22 – London – Oslo
2/24/22 – St. Albans – The Horn
2/25/22 – Ipswich – The Smokehouse
2/26/22 – Tunbridge Wells – Tunbridge Wells Forum

* Holiday Ghosts supporting
** Laundromat supporting

Pre-order Which Way To Be Happy by Penelope Islands HERE