“A small, isolated town.. its dark history, twisted and unseen, rising steadily towards the surface, threatening to consume a landscape that it no longer recognises….Crow Hill is a place where fiction intrudes upon reality, haunting those who have neglected its teachings and devalued its message. Our monsters are as real as our better angels. We must take great care in how we tend to them.”

Formed in 2006 and led by singer-songwriter Neil Pennycook, Meursault’s name is a reference to the main character of L’Etranger, the absurdist novel by Albert Camus. The band’s musical style has been categorised as folktronica, alternative rock and indie folk, while the band themselves have described themselves as “epic lo-fi”

Marking a new chapter in Meursault’s recording career, Crow Hill sees Edinburgh’s Neil Scott Pennycook make a move into the world of fiction with a collection of ‘urban horror’ vignettes set to music, with each song telling the story of a particular inhabitant of the titular town. Accompanied by 12 unique illustrations (and cover art) by Pablo Clark, Crow Hill aims to give the audience an experience that is both immersive and unsettling, including a live show that has all the heart and intensity associated with Meursault, but now with an engaging narrative arc to give new purpose/meaning to proceedings.

With a new chapter comes a new home. Crow Hill is the first release from new, independent label Common Grounds, set up and run by Chamber Studios owner/engineer Graeme Young. Alongside 11 original songs by Pennycook, Crow Hill also features an elegiac interpretation of Country classic I Heard My Mother Praying For Me, originally written by Audrey Williams, and made famous by her husband Hank Williams Snr.