Hello
We’re excited to share the new kickstarter campaign for Emily Portman’s new record The Dominion of Spells, we hope you can join us in supporting the making of this record. We can’t wait to share this wonderful music with you all.
In the current climate and the age of streaming, the costs of making a record make it incredibly hard for independent artists and small labels like Hudson Records to break even.
Your support will ensure we can bring this music into the world in physical and digital form.
If you can support the kickstarter campaign in anyway, big or small, it will be very much appreciated.
The Dominion of Spells is Emily’s first solo release in a decade. It follows a heroine’s journey through the woods at midlife, navigating spells of entrapment and liberation in search of a new path and a new skin.
These songs explore transformation: confronting burnout, misogyny, miscarriage, and PMDD, and weaving those experiences with the rich imagery of folktales and ballads. The album charts a search to rediscover wonder — meeting selkies, fairy queens, and fox-women along the way.
The title reclaims “Dominion of Spells,” a phrase once used to pathologise women as “disordered,” and transforms it into a realm where magic empowers, wonder is revealed, and creativity becomes an act of liberation.
The album has been recorded and produced by Andy Bell and features an extraordinary group of musicians:
Louis Campbell (guitars), Lucy Revis (cello & vocals), Martin Simpson (voice & guitar), Lucy Farrell (voice & musical saw), Mary Hampton (voice), Ben Nicholls (double bass), Sam Sweeney (violin), Helen Bell (viola), Neil McSweeney (electric bass), and Will Schrimshaw (drums).
There are plenty of rewards — from exclusive first listens and physical copies (a signed hardback book with CD or some tasty vinyl) to limited-edition artwork bundles by the brilliant illustrator Gwen Burns, singing lessons, workshops, and private concerts.
Thanks for your help!
Emily & Hudson Records
