Over those ten years the quartet have experienced a host of changes but remained a tight musical unit. Now Thirteen Senses are due to release their fourth album ‘A Strange Encounter’, conceived of and recorded over a single, focused period in a remote farmhouse in rural Brittany.

To recap, Thirteen Senses formed in the summer of 2001 in the furthest reaches of Cornwall, brought together by friendship and a shared love of the indie music scene that had been the soundtrack to their adolescence. After a comparatively brief period they were snapped up after an industry wide flurry in 2003, which saw the majority of the A&R community crammed into many a remote Cornish pub. They collectively moved to London, and started work recording what was to be their debut album, ‘The Invitation’, with legendary producer Danton Supple (Coldplay, Starsailor), an album which spawned the hit singles, ‘Thru The Glass’, ‘Do No Wrong’ and ‘Into The Fire’.

Their second studio release, ‘Contact’ saw them experiment with their sound, adding a more assertive edge. Elements of this were incorporated into 2011's release ‘Crystal Sounds’, recorded over a marathon set of sessions beginning in 2008. This was the first album to be completely recorded and produced by and for themselves. With no pressures or expectations on their backs, Thirteen Senses developed into the fully fledged epic pop band that was promised back at the beginning.

Their extensive touring has earned the band an extremely loyal fanbase, supplemented by their music’s continued exposure on blockbuster American Television shows such as ER, Grey’s Anatomy, Bones and The 4400; their ability to write honest, emotional, widescreen songs making them a particular favourite of UK and US music supervisors alike, and presenting them to a massive global audience. 4.5 million YouTube views stands as an example of their sustained popularity.

Having relocated outside of London to rural retreats across the South of England, the summer of 2011 saw the opportunity for the band to get back into the studio, an experience that hadn’t been available for the recording of ‘Crystal Sounds’.

“We wanted to make this album ourselves, but in a different environment”, says Tom. “The way we’ve worked in the past has been quite structured, but with sessions often interrupted by life or other distractions. We asked ourselves what it would be like if we just upped sticks and isolated ourselves for a while - to be able to get up, play, and record, with no distractions – much like we did when the band first started. We found a farmhouse in the middle of rural northern France, bought a beat up old Volvo estate to get us there, loaded the studio in the back and went.”

“On the way over we talked about how we wanted the record to sound, how we wanted it to be much more acoustic and organic than before.” Fuelled by copious amounts of the local alcoholic produce, the band recorded the whole record in 20 days. “We wrote more freely than we ever had before, and felt completely focused on the record; it was a real gift to be able to do that. The months and years spent writing like we had done in the past; we found we didn't really need to do. It was really exciting to approach the process in this way.”

The fruits of their labours are clear. 'A Strange Encounter' is an album born of its unique environment, and of a band who have found freedom. Removed from the shackles of expectation that they felt throughout their early releases, a more acoustic and freeform approach combined with the band's unique ear for carefully crafted musical landscapes has reaped a rich reward. From the old-time classic sounds of 'Waves' via the electro-acoustic beats of 'A Strange Encounter', and the more delicate soundscapes of 'The Hour' and 'Gathered Here A Stranger’, Thirteen Senses have made a vital earworm of a record, full of the melodies and hooks that are their signature.