Blending British folk rock with notes of vintage alternative rock and prog rock, Harp is the creation of musician and songwriter Tim Smith. Crafting ethereal soundscapes from acoustic guitar, wind instruments, and keyboards, Harp's music, as documented on their 2023 debut album Albion, conjures a sound that evokes a time and place from long ago, even as Smith uses modern instruments and techniques to bring it about.

Tim Smith first earned a reputation as a member of Midlake, an indie rock band from Denton, Texas, who won a loyal following for their engaging fusion of indie rock, soft rock, and psychedelia. Smith was Midlake's lead vocalist and co-founder, and after forming in 2000, they experienced international success after they signed to the British indie label Bella Union -- 2006's The Trials of Van Occupanther and 2010's The Courage of Others racked up impressive sales. Despite Midlake's good fortune, Smith dropped out of the band in 2012, while they were writing material for their next album. Smith's departure coincided with a period of personal difficulty for him -- he and his wife divorced, and Smith ended up living with his parents for a spell. Smith blocked out plans for a solo album, and began the slow process of writing and recording new material when he met Kathi Zung, an artist and puppet fabricator with a career working in stop-motion animation. Smith and Zung fell in love, and he married her and soon found himself occupied with the responsibilities of keeping house and looking after her two children. Zung, who is also a musician, became part of Smith's new music, and as he began soaking up the influence of the Cure and the Cocteau Twins along with the folk and indie sounds that were the original foundation of the project, a new and compelling sound began to take shape. Adopting the group name Harp, Smith and Zung's handiwork finally saw the light of day as Bella Union issued Harp's debut LP, Albion, in December 2023. ~ Mark Deming