Bess Atwell releases her highly-anticipated new album 'Already, Always' through Real Kind Records

15-DATE UK HEADLINE TOUR ANNOUNCED FOR NOV & DEC

"spectacular" – THE INDEPENDENT 5*****

"It’s usually the quiet ones who have the most to say. Bess Atwell's second album, Already, Always, is proof of that. One of the most unassuming yet remarkable young artists in the UK, she has made a record so intimate that by the closing song she seems like an old friend.”

"What a cool, assured and lovely thing the second album from the Brighton singer-songwrier is. What marks her out is her ear for a phrase and music that can pierce the heart."

METRO

"It is a relaxing and timeless moment that we spend with Already, Always; an illuminated sound labyrinth with meticulous production forcing admiration. The record is an oxymoron between raw simplicity and sonic complexity with a thousand reflections. No doubt we will come back to it often." – 4**** SOUND OF VIOLENCE

“"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

After spending the last few months unveiling a wealth of broad and shimmering delights, emerging singer and songwriter Bess Atwell today releases her highly-anticipated new album ‘Already, Always’ – which is set to be BBC 6Music’s ‘Album Of The Day’ on September 28th.

Featuring the previously unveiled offerings ‘Co-op’, ‘All You Can Do’, ‘Nobody’, ‘Time Comes In Roses’, and ‘Red Light Heaven’, ‘Already, Always’ brings 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.

Speaking about the new release, she said, "I think most of us long to have something that nobody and nothing can ever take away from us. Having this record finally out in the world feels like I now have something like that.

“If you ask anybody who knows me well, they’ll say that one of the most important things to me is to feel understood and connected. That’s why it’s so cathartic to have made something that illustrates the way I see the world at this point in my life. I hope other people hear themselves in these songs. If I had to simplify the story of the record, I’d say the recurring theme is existential loneliness, which is apt when you consider the pay-off for me is connecting with others through my music.

“I’m impatient and a perfectionist so it’s very rare for me to create something that I feel represents me and that I’ve seen through to the end. I’ve never worked so hard on anything, and for that I am proud of myself. I’m also extremely grateful to my team who encouraged me to push harder and trust my own instincts.

“‘Already, Always’ was written over the past three years, which makes it hard to sum up easily. Most notably, those years spanned a breakup, a reconciliation, family tribulations, and mental health struggles. The record deals with the kind of nostalgia you can’t seem to escape, and the cycles we find so hard to break. On the surface it’s easy to assume it’s a breakup album, but I was trying to communicate something broader. I think almost all relationships are really just a manifestation of your relationship with yourself. I don’t get particularly nervous about releasing individual songs, but when it comes to a whole body of work like this, it’s scary. Each song makes up a small part of me, so when they come together it’s exposing.

“The making and releasing of this record has schooled me more than education ever did. I’ve made (and lost) friends. I’ve learned and unlearned things about myself. I began this project frustrated with being so lost, and have come out believing that having questions is sometimes better than having answers."

‘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 will be heading out on a 15-date UK headline tour in November and December.

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

Ahead of the tour Bess will be hosting a number of in-stores to tie in with the album release:

24th Sept - Resident Brighton
28th Sept - Rough Trade East
29th Sept - Banquet Records

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 24, 2021