Having just unveiled her arresting single ‘All You Can Do’ in recent months, alongside the BBC 6Music playlisted ‘Co-op’ and ‘Time Comes In Roses’, emerging singer and songwriter Bess Atwell continues the support for her highly-anticipated new album ‘Already, Always’ with the beautifully sweet yet desolate cut ‘Nobody’.
Opting for a more humble and stripped-back aesthetic, ‘Nobody’ once again looks to highlight the rich and textured direction she brings to all of her songs. Using little more than an acoustic guitar and her own soaring voice, this new offering is a raw and intimate insight to her heartfelt persona that also captures the luxurious qualities she has been showcasing these last few months.
Speaking about the release, she said, “I wrote this song very quickly which is probably why it’s one of my favourites. Writing can sometimes feel laboured and emotionally draining but this felt so easy and cathartic, sort of like it just fell out. It encapsulates a specific type of loneliness, a loneliness that I think I had probably been getting closer to conveying with every song on the record, but that finally felt solidified in this one which is why I decided to close the album with it.
“Often, the harder you try to figure yourself out, the further you get from knowing yourself. Without knowing yourself it can feel impossible to know and love other people. I was desperate for answers about where and who I was meant to be. ‘Nobody’ is focused on a specific relationship, but I hope it taps into something more universal – the feeling of lacking a sense of belonging.
“Something about the simple Spanish guitar part reminded me a little of ‘Orange’ by Big Thief which inspired me to keep the production minimal. We recorded drums but decided to take them off, and left mostly just a subtle electronic soundscape that I had put on the demo – synth pads and bass. I wanted something a little more special for this song, so we asked the wonderful Marcus Hamblett to play some brass towards the end.”
Her new collection ‘Already’ Always’ looks to bring together the songs and aesthetics she has been channelling for some time. While on the surface some would see it as a break-up record, the album itself is more about the deeper relationships that many of us experience throughout our lives, and how brittle and disconnected they can become over time.
A release that focuses on loss, love, life, and death, Bess Atwell has taken the opportunity behind this album to create something that not only reflects who she is upon us, but also allows us to see ourselves in her.
‘Already’ Always’ Album Tracklist:1. Co-op2. All You Can Do3. Silver Fir4. Dolly5. Love Is Not Enough6. How Do You Leave7. Time Comes in Roses8. Red Light Heaven9. Olivia, in A Separate Bed10. NobodyTo support the new album, Bess Atwell has also announced a string of festival and UK tour dates for later in the year including a 15-date UK headline tour in November and December.
Spring / Summer 202125th July – Womad Festival12th Aug – 110 Above Festival11th Sept – Down at the Abbey Festival
UK Tour dates15th Nov – Liverpool, Leaf16th Nov – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach18th Nov – Bristol, Exchange19th Nov – Leeds, Headrow House20th Nov – Edinburgh, Sneaky Pete’s21st Nov – Glasgow, Broadcast23rd Nov – Newcastle, The Cluny 225th Nov – Birmingham, Hare & Hounds V226th Nov – Manchester, Deaf Institute27th Nov – Nottingham, Bodega30th Nov – Cambridge, Junction 21st Dec – Oxford, The Jericho Tower2nd Dec – London, Oslo3rd Dec – Southampton, Heartbreakers4th Dec – Brighton, Patterns
There is comfort in the familiar. Yet it is precisely when we are most comfortable that we begin to ask questions. Artist Bess Atwell is full of questions: on life, death, love, loss… and how things that at first seem mundane become profound when looked at in a different light. On her sensational album, ‘Already’ Always’, Atwell offers one of the most assured records by a British artist in years. Released via Lucy Rose’s Communion imprint Real Kind Records, it focuses heavily on Atwell’s own experiences yet has a universal appeal demonstrated already by the support from the BBC’s 6music, and millions of streams of Atwell’s earlier, self released, singles. “What I really care about is people listening to this album and saying, ‘God, I feel like I know her,'” the Brighton-based artist explains. “I wanted to illustrate, not just the romance in relationships, but that bit that comes afterwards.”
‘Already, Always’ is out September 24th through Real Kind Records.