IT WOULD have been easy for The Rails to have picked up where they left off in the wake of their acclaimed 2014 album Fair Warning. And, had they done just that, who would have held it against them?

Within months of its release, the debut set of songs by the duo comprised of Kami Thompson and James Walbourne had harvested myriad rave reviews and sundry other accolades, among them Mojo’s Folk Album of the Year award and the prize for Best Newcomer at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

But for a duo brought together by serendipity – they first met during sessions for an album by Kami’s mother Linda Thompson – there was never any doubt that the way forward was to stay open to the vagaries of chance and embrace new possibilities.

Three years later, they’re back with an album that emphatically vindicates the pair’s restless curiosity, and are playing at The Railway Inn tomorrow.

Comprised of ten original compositions, Other People is a record rooted in change: both musical and circumstantial, elsewhere The Rails’ second album is one which lays itself open to the stormy weather of life, be it when addressing the desultory self-justifications of an abusive husband in the broodingly poignant Dark Times, or the everyday ups and downs of James and Kami’s own relationship in Drowned In Blue.

For both Kami and James, however, the real moment of payback comes when they get to take these songs on the road.

“We’re both very excited about getting to play these songs with an actual band,” says Kami. “It’s just a matter of figuring out how that would work, because rehearsals alone are grounds for divorce, aren’t they?”

James emits a rueful laugh. “We’re really quite horrible to each other!

“She’s like, ‘Just play the chord, will you?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, I will if you can just warm up your voice!’

“That’s another reason why it’s good to be touring with a band.

“They can prize us apart from each other if they need to.”