That Beautiful Atlantic Waltz is the fifth album by Malachy Tallack, an acclaimed musician and author. A companion piece to Malachy’s forthcoming novel of the same name, the songs are presented as if they are written by the novel’s main character, Jack—a man in his mid-sixties who lives in Shetland.

The unique crossover between the literature and accompanying music gives readers an opportunity to immerse themselves in the life of a fictional character in an entirely new way, while offering listeners an imagined world behind the music to explore.

The songs weave country, bluegrass and Americana styles together with lyrics that reference the land and seascapes of the Shetland Islands and occasional nods to events and preoccupations from the main character’s life.

For the design of the limited edition vinyl record, visual references were drawn from Shetland’s location, at the meeting point of the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. The wildlife of the islands, and lyrics of one of the album’s tracks, ‘The Hurt and the Heather’, inspired the cover design which features a kaleidoscopic image of birds in flight. Their composition echoes the circular movements of a waltz, implicitly linking the cover image to the title.

The monochromatic cover is paired with a turquoise marbled vinyl, a colour reminiscent of Shetland’s coastal waters on a sunny day. This juxtaposition of a stark outer layer and richness within symbolises Jack’s life, whose solitary existence is contrasted with the musical creativity of his songwriting. A single bird on the vinyl label signifies freedom, suggesting that Jack’s songs allow him to break free from his solitude.

Keeping the record’s production on home turf, the record was pressed by Seabass Vinyl in East Lothian, a company using one hundred percent renewable energy, and aiming to become the most sustainable vinyl pressing plant in the world.