Led by Sunderland musician and singer-songwriter Andy Fraser, Tunstallachia Upland Boys’ sound sits somewhere between Americana (embracing everything from Appalachian Mountain vibes to the blues) and British folk. Their second album is steeped in the history of the region with songs exploring subjects such as the women who worked the shipyards in WW2, to the mining industry, to the founding of Durham as a city. It’s a stripped back affair but you can feel the fiery sense of pride in every note with Fraser’s unflashy but emotive vocal sitting atop the most heartfelt of melodies. GM

Out 1 June, self release