Written, recorded and mixed between August 2024 and April 2025, these songs have more of a 'performance feel' - there is less emphasis on 'layering' different instruments - as was the case with something like 'Higher Power' from 'Staring at the Sun' - with less intricate detailing. I think the songs get straight to the point, but also have some more involved musical elements that I have focused on - like the timing of the strings in 'The Quietus',  - those kind of things I really enjoyed stretching myself with. The songs are quite broad, but also quite accessible I think. I wanted to work quite fast as it's easy to get bogged down with working and re-working elements and it can get frustrating if stretched over years rather than weeks and months - so I enjoyed working on this music much more than last time. Plus, all of these songs came from the demos/sketches created in the same time period so it all hangs together well, I think.  Better, anyway. This is probably the quickest I've completed something in a while, even though there were (again) endless remixes (Paint the Red Sky Blue was VERY stubborn!). Apart from the drum samples (obviously) as well as Liliia's (again) outstanding vocal performance on the song 'Counterparts', I did everything myself, from the production to the mastering, to some of the photography on the vinyl and CD versions, (the front cover artwork is AI generated - the original artwork just didn't wok for the the vinyl version (flaws in the image), so I changed it at the last minute).   

Talking of which, the possibility of putting out a vinyl record has long been a dream since I was kid - so when it became clear this was possible in an affordable way, I had this in the back of mind when I was recording and mixing. Thinking about a 'Side A' and 'Side B' as two separate entities with strict time limits forced me to be  disciplined about the output and I think it worked out better for the music. 

Anyhow...if you listen, (and I hope you do), I hope you enjoy it!