Lonely Guest was conceived and put together over the last 18 months by one of British musics true innovators: Tricky. But as hes keen to make clear: this aint no Tricky album. Rather its a thrilling meeting of musical mavericks, with the likes of Lee “Scratch” Perry and Idles Joe Talbot all pitting their unique approaches to songwriting against Trickys otherworldly production. From an unsettling tale of isolation courtesy of Maxïmo Parks Paul Smith Christmas Trees to the grunge stylings of Martas Move Me, via the tense storytelling of London rapper Kways On A Move, these diverse statements come together as a bold artistic statement of their own.
Yet incredibly none of this was planned. Tricky had been expecting to be on the road throughout 2020, promoting the stark-yet-beautiful songs from his mesmerising last solo record Fall To Pieces. Instead, to keep his relentlessly creative mind busy during the pandemic, he began working through various collaborations with other artists … and realised they could work together.