Hallelujah Trial - Hallelujah Trial
Review by:
Alex Dematteis
Musicshockworld
Salford
1st November 2026
Debut Album of the year 2026
Hallelujah Trial - Hallelujah Trial
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it” – George Orwell
Returning to intimacy, to whispers, to slowing the pace of a stressful existence, without losing sight of reality. This can and must be achieved through the lens of consciousness, which probes and shifts everything towards a meaning that becomes complete.
Music succeeds in this; one need only listen to this stratospheric debut, of mind-boggling beauty – at once unsettling and comforting, slow, very slow – with nocturnal breaths that bestow life without one being able to fathom how. Songs that penetrate deep within, healing the soul through stories steeped in toil, hardship and tension, as if the working class still existed – the intellectual working class, to be precise – and through their writing deposited dreams and dramas to create a distant, non-parallel circuit.
This is where English folk music comes into its own, with a view of the ocean and thoughts turning towards the distant American continent… In the tranquillity of these stripped-back compositions, devoid of sonic embellishments, there is no need for any intervention, for the genius lies in the DNA of simplicity – in this piano, in the guitar and in the voice through which it all unfolds, slamming the door in the face of any devilry that might seek to take root within this earthly hellish paradise.
Yes, certainly, to this apparent serenity created by melodies that feel like caresses, we must add lyrics that turn the soul inside out, that confide in you, that prove their strength through honesty and credibility – until, in the end, you realise just how many mirrors lie within them…
The two Liverpool musicians unwittingly pick up the trail left by Jacqui and Bridie, two teachers who gave voice to the hidden realities of a city so shaken by the Beatles’ success. Those two women brought current issues back to the fore, without hesitation, and so too do Tom Roberts and John Canning Yates, who, after twenty years of friendship, have unleashed the purity, the breeze of songs that travel slowly so they may be savoured, allowing every infinite part of them to be appreciated and cherished for eternity. The moods shift between folk and country, with a baritone voice reminiscent of Stuart Staples of the Tindersticks, when a semblance of cheerfulness visits the night…
These are stories that seek to become sound; they break free from the pages and soar into the evocative realms of simple chord progressions, refined arpeggios, and rhythms that caress the sand and mud, into the medley of colours that envelops it all to become a secular, incorruptible prayer, for this is what defines the evident maturity of pieces born to be an oil lamp against the storms of modernity. This duo is not afraid of appearing anachronistic; it does not seek crowds, tributes or acclaim, but rather prefers to let art do what it has historically done: to look after us by presenting a different path and approach, offering reflections and inspiration, whilst never denying that fiction and reality always go hand in hand.
All moods tending towards melancholy, sadness, unease and much more are captured, whilst taking care to leave kilos upon kilos of positivity hidden between the lines – where there is room for true joy, the kind that makes a person balanced and honest. These are compositions that do not deceive; they plunge into everyday life, into dense afternoons, into nights where thoughts take the place of physicality, in which the narrative is always direct and makes no excuses.
Love, the first setback of dreams, in this debut album is above all self-respect, the need to stake out boundaries within which the freedom to act on one’s own needs is deemed unquestionable.
Their musical score is a whisper of nature, the almost silent flapping of birds’ wings, and it’s incredible how the two musicians have managed to balance the excesses of what they depict with soundscapes that never detract from a sense of relaxation and contentment.
When the music enters the 1970s (in the track ‘While We May All’), one gets the feeling that Leonard Cohen has found the perfect grandchildren who let him sleep peacefully in his eternity: and it is pure emotion, a stream of tears travelling through the listening room to sow love and gratitude, in a bed of wet roses.
They decide to explore every season (the winter of *On Each Branch*, *Truth & Consequences*, *Joy Is The Aim* and *Together We Lost*), moving on to spring (*Flowers In The Room*, *Rain For Roses* and *Days*), the summer of *Ever Treat You Cruel Again* – sung a cappella – and the autumn of the remaining tracks.
But it is not just the seasons (and therefore time…), but also constant explorations of the silences, the pauses, the dark corners of the mind, as if they were social workers on a mission to strip away adversity with songs capable of absorbing the darkness.
One experiences the pleasant sensation of exploring the roots of truth, of returning to school desks, attentive and well-behaved, of having, in these tracks, books to study, to bind carefully and to which to provide the necessary means to withstand any wear and tear.
When tomorrow arrives (Days), we are reminded of who we are, of our time on earth, and all fear melts away; the darkness truly vanishes, as they say, and we reconnect with ourselves.
Tom and his distinctive voice act as the glue, whilst John anchors the encounter with ancient sirens that never cease to enchant and draw us in with movements inclined not towards noise but towards its opposite, like a rock that plunges from the city into the River Mersey to begin a long pilgrimage. Sonic gems like a ship, like waves, like rain, like bonds between poverty and dignity – here the protagonists of journeys where one finds solidarity through modesty, dispelling any impulse towards intolerance or violence.
It is an album that transforms an identity card into a passport to personal growth, leaving echoes of decades now overtaken by modernity – so as not to lose touch with one’s roots, and to offer solace to those (themselves foremost among them) who are entirely unfamiliar with these overwhelming lights and the chaos that obscures the true nature of humanity.
There will certainly be those who do not appreciate this old-fashioned approach, those who find it tedious, and those who will hasten to listen to something else: well, that’s fine; we have no need for people incapable of recognising that it is precisely these examples of musical art that can refresh us, bring us to our senses, and have the power to restore our passion and hope, whilst passing through X-rays that spare us none of the cruelty of behavioural and mental illness.
Hallelujah Trial is an unexpected gift, a rainbow of the mind that arcs over the mist, the clouds and through the rain: it contains evocative, authentic tracks, with their own effervescence that is meant to be encountered, experienced and savoured whilst sipping a glass of red wine.
A gentle rocking, a mantra, a constant embrace that leaves no part of us alone: this is the power of this work, perfect for reminding us where we come from, whilst pointing out new lands to conquer on our map – first and foremost, the lightness that comes from knowing what to let go of within ourselves.
Songs for the bedroom, the pub, the garden and parties – with a guitar and people eager to sing about life without fear of judgement, with emotions like stamps that validate every possible feeling, because the two minstrels from Liverpool hold the key to what really matters within their creative minds…
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