Bess Atwell unveils the shimmering new single 'Red Light Heaven', out now through Real Kind Records

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

NEW ALBUM ‘ALREADY, ALWAYS’, OUT SEPTEMBER 24th THROUGH REAL KIND RECORDS. PRE-ORDER HERE

15-DATE UK HEADLINE TOUR ANNOUNCED FOR NOV & DEC

“divine – an exquisite and delicate tribute to the insular comfort of the mundane"

THE INDEPENDENT

“"English singer/songwriter Bess Atwell is quickly becoming one of the most exciting new voices in English folk. With luminous vocals and pastoral instrumentation, she recalls Laura Marling or Julia Jacklin’s folk style filtered through Lana Del Rey’s summery haze.” UNDER THE RADAR

"Bess Atwell is something special.The English songwriter's folk-textured indie pop has a quiet calm that is overwhelming, patching together gossamer melody with biting lyrics.New single 'Co-op' is out now, a beautiful pearl of a song that is ushered out into the world via Lucy Rose's own label. – CLASH (track of the day)

“With its luscious ripples of guitar and soft production surrounding Atwell’s crystalline vocals, it is an exquisite listen detailing a charming vignette of Atwell’s life with her partner.” RECORD OF THE DAY

“Like the first blooms of spring, Atwell’s latest single unfolds with serene ripples of guitar strings surrounded by her lush calming vocals, leading us to a track that has us reminiscent of Lana Del Rey and Phoebe Bridgers. Similar to her previous offerings, the track maintains the same fresh and unique sound she has displayed throughout her career.” WONDERLAND

Having just unveiled her arresting single ‘All You Can Do’ and sweeping album track ‘Nobody’ 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 beautiful new offering ‘Red Light Heaven’.

Channelling the same juxtaposition of emotion she has infused in all of her releases of late, ‘Red Light Heaven’ looks to conjure some of the more complex feelings on her new collection. While ultimately a fresh and vibrant composition, her newest gem is rich in personal definitions of herself and creates this wonderfully captivating aura that sees her in an almost liberated light throughout.

Explaining the new single, she said, "This is one of those Frankenstein songs that shifted subject matter several times until it encompassed most of the record’s themes in one. It touches on the disappointment that can come with a lack of spirituality. The belief that life is mostly meaningless is simultaneously dark and liberating, and I think these beliefs inform my relationships - I want to feel connected because it’s the only meaning I can draw from life.

“I have always attempted to solicit authenticity from people, which has alienated them at times (“I won’t help you forget / You need a bit of that”). There’s a running joke in my family about the letters I used to write to my mother as a child and I reference those letters in the song. The last line of the chorus (“I can’t look back without thinking it’s all wrong”) is an acknowledgement of the mournful perception I have of the past – whether the memory is positive or not, it often seems to sadden me slightly.”

Accompanied by a stunning new video directed by the renowned Jamie Thraves, best known for his work on Radiohead’s ‘Just’ and Coldplay’s ‘The Scientist’ for which he won three MTV awards, the new visuals look to further explore this parallel between light and dark energy with its isolated yet colourful aesthetic.

Continuing about the new video, Bess added, “I was lucky enough to work with Jamie Thraves on the music video. Fittingly, it ended up being a similar process to that of writing the song - it shifted concept a few times until we’d made something that is almost a little fractured, while still being full of meaning and hidden messages.

“Jamie and I instantly clicked, bonding over our penchant for intensity and oversharing. We wanted the video to highlight a sense of duality. We shot for two days with an amazing small crew of people and just had a lot of fun. It’s by far the biggest fuss I’ve ever had made for a video of mine and I felt extremely lucky.

“We filmed in a small woodland in Kent, and at Glyndebourne Opera House. I was particularly excited about shooting at Glyndebourne because there’s so much symmetry to play with, and one of my references was the photography of Slim Aarons. The locations were chosen with that sense of duality in mind, as was the way I performed.

“Before we shot, Jamie mentioned how he’d like me to push myself to perform slightly more than I had in previous videos. I’ll never know how he did it, but he got me interpretive dancing in front of a camera and crew of people. It was so liberating to feel comfortable enough to perform the song the way I wanted and I have Jamie to thank for that.”

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:

Co-op
All You Can Do
Silver Fir
Dolly
Love Is Not Enough
How Do You Leave
Time Comes in Roses
Red Light Heaven
Olivia, in A Separate Bed
Nobody

To 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 2021

12th Aug - 110 Above Festival

11th Sept - Down at the Abbey Festival

UK Tour dates

15th Nov - Liverpool, Leaf

16th Nov - Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach

18th Nov - Bristol, Exchange

19th Nov - Leeds, Headrow House

20th Nov - Edinburgh, Sneaky Pete's

21st Nov - Glasgow, Broadcast

23rd Nov - Newcastle, The Cluny 2

25th Nov - Birmingham, Hare & Hounds V2

26th Nov - Manchester, Deaf Institute

27th Nov - Nottingham, Bodega

30th Nov - Cambridge, Junction 2

1st Dec - Oxford, The Jericho Tower

2nd Dec - London, Oslo

3rd Dec - Southampton, Heartbreakers

4th 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.”

DISCOVER BESS ATWELL

lorraine longSeptember 2, 2021