This is a story that starts at the end, and the beginning, and the in-between.

The Greatest Endangered Thing was born from an ending.  The band, originally formed in 2016 by Samuel James Taylor and Rebecca Van Cleave, began it’s journey under the name of Ophelia, touring extensively through the UK, US, and Europe, receiving support from BBC Radio 2 including BBC Artist of the Week, and releasing an EP and an album to critical acclaim, before suddenly disappearing in 2018. “We stopped for a multitude of reasons, tales for another time” says Taylor. “In retrospect, we probably should have just continued and not burned everything down, but we were both exhausted and a little heartbroken and very very broke… it seemed impossible in the moment,” laughs Van Cleave, “and retrospect is a beautiful thing.”

The duo took a hiatus, retreating into the English countryside to regroup and found solace in the stillness of the natural world that surrounded them. They found a new name for the project, a line taken, with permission, from a Nikita Gill poem. “It just stuck with us,” says Van Cleave, “it felt like home, a new beginning.”

After a soft release of their debut EP,  And You, And Me during the pandemic in 2021, the band began writing and formed the foundations for their new release, Phosphenes: Volume 1. Working with highly celebrated musicians including Bellowhead frontman Jon Boden and Michael Rinne (Sarah Jarosz, Miranda Lambert, Mary Gauthier) the band knew there was only one place to capture the new sound. They returned to the beginning, to the comfort of Sheffield’s Tesla Studios with long time collaborator David Glover.  Volume 1 was recorded live over 5 days in the summer of 2023. Taylor says “We wanted to capture something raw and real. Something of us that was on the edge of our control, a little out of our depth and scary, something exciting”. Talking about the songs, Van Cleave says,  “We started writing the tracks and quickly they became a story. I guess in a way it’s a story about us. But it’s also a story for anyone with a dream. For anyone who’s ever felt disillusioned or lost in the haze of bright lights. It’s a story for the artists and dreamers and lovers and small town kids.”

“Digging through our archives has been an incredibly cathartic experience,” continues Van Cleave. “I think when you’ve been hurt, you tend to lock it all up in a little box and not think about it. But opening up that box again years later… you see how much good was inside.”  “We’re so proud of the old recordings and we hope to re-release them in the future,” adds Taylor. “To give them new life. But first we’re excited to release this next record. We’re now very much like the tortoise, Ophelia was the hare. The Greatest Endangered Thing is Ophelia and it’s also something new.  A little older, a little wiser, hopefully something that can continue and grow for many years to come.” 

The end, the in-between, and a bright new beginning.

“…they alternate the spare with the richer sound. Radiating warmth and compassion we must hope for a lot more from this enigmatic folk duo.” - Americana UK

“… a stirring spark of greatness that leaves you longing to relive it again.” - Belwood Music

“These songs will tear your soul apart, then build you back whole again.” - Fatea Magazine

“…some of the most beautiful melodies known to mankind.” - God Is In The TV Zine