Two Ways Home are songwriters Isabella Folkner, originally from Vienna, Austria, and Lewis Folkner, who grew up in Gloucestershire, UK. Since forming in 2014, the pair have developed a distinctive sound combining catchy melodies, close harmonies and rock-inspired guitars.
Across three EPs, two albums and a string of standalone singles, Two Ways Home have
received radio play across the UK and Europe, toured internationally and shared stages
with artists including Lainey Wilson and Blackberry Smoke.
Their music has received support from Absolute Radio Country, CountryLine and BBC Introducing, while their songwriting has also seen them work with artists including Liz McClarnon, Twinnie and
Kenny Foster.
The duo are also the founders of The Round Up, their long-running songwriters event which has brought together artists from around the world, including the UK and Nashville, such as Charlie Worsham and Lainey Wilson, while providing a platform for emerging homegrown talent.
In their single Room For Love, Two Ways Home take a bittersweet look at love and human connection in an increasingly distracted world.
Taken from the duo’s album Patience To Play, Room For Love turns its attention
to modern relationships and the strange contradiction of being more connected than
ever, while sometimes feeling further apart.
Built around the question of whether we are ever truly present with one another, the song pits the conveniences of modern romance against the things that seem to have been lost along the way: scrolling instead of talking, texts instead of handwritten notes, playlists instead of mixtapes and endless choice instead of committing to the person in front of you.
At the heart of the song is a frustration that will feel familiar to anyone who has ever tried to compete with a phone for somebody’s attention. The chorus longs for something more tangible and personal, while returning to the central refrain: “This modern living don’t leave a lot of room for love.”
There is nostalgia in Room For Love, but also hope. Rather than simply romanticising the past, the song asks whether some of the rituals that once made relationships feel special, such as making somebody a mixtape, leaving a handwritten note or simply giving them your undivided attention, might still have something to teach us.
Two Ways Home say: “The inspiration for Room For Love came from being sat at a table next to a couple who were clearly out on a date, but had their heads in their phones rather than enjoying the
moment. I think we wrote at least half of the song while we were still sat at the table!”
