Fools finds Dan Croll at a crossroads, documenting recent events with warmth and wit to help him decide which direction to take. Five years since leaving his beloved Liverpool for sun-soaked L.A., a move made on a whim, which transformed his sound, Fools poses a fundamental question – is it finally time to come home?
The sumptuous Fools, Dan’s fourth album, follows 2020’s Grand Plan, a critical hit which captured his early experiences of life in L.A. and effortlessly exchanged his synth-pop of the past for sepia-tinged folk rock with Laurel Canyon leanings.
Fools jumps forward, through Covid to the end of an intense three year relationship, the death of Dan’s grandmother back in Britain and rare trips home as restrictions lifted. Sonically it spreads its net wider -– country, disco and woozy psychedelics join the Carole King and James Taylor nods on Grand Plan.
Both albums were recorded largely live at the legendary Spacebomb Studios in Richmond, Virginia with Matthew E. White (Natalie Prass, Flo Morrissey, Slow Club) and his four-piece house band. This time, Dan co-produced, tinkering with sounds late into the night to add his own stamp to the record.