A collection of Wintery songs from the archive.
Jon popped over to my flat one evening back in Winter 2021 when I was living in Edinburgh. The next night I picked up my guitar to find he had retuned it to DADGAD while we'd been making music together, so I started to figure out some chords. Before too long Hide Away was written. The song became the basis for my album Crystal Blue, the soundscape of which was full of dense brass and synth arrangements, however I always had a soft spot for the original acoustic demo. I came back to it in 2025 and added the accapella intro as well as doing some general polishing to the production.
Dom Owtram - Drums
Will Sarginson - Flute
Squash Cafe in Toxteth invited me to play a few tunes at their Solstice celebration in 2024. This song was written for the occasion around the themes of darkness and light, new life and new years, as well warm fuzzy communities like the people of Squash and L8.
A song about letting go that sat as a half finished voice note on my phone since deciding it wouldn't fit on Crystal Blue in late 2021. 4 years later I found myself in Dahab, South Sinai, looking through old projects and was able to revive this song with a Juno VST and some lofi production.
I had the privilege of spending Christmas 2025 in the West Bank at the University Of Bethlehem. The situation and challenges faced by Palestinians there is well documented by people far more eloquent and educated than me, this mildly adapted carol is more of a personal memento for what was a hugely impactful and meaningful experience for me that I am deeply grateful for.
Melody adapted from Ralph Vaughan Williams
Lyrics adapted from Phillips Brooks