That Eric Alper

Some of these songs began as tiny poems with no intention of becoming anything more. British singer-songwriter Lucy Kitchen has released her new album ‘In The Low Light’ via Bohemia Rose Records/Make My Day Records, a collection of 11 songs shaped by personal loss and quiet resilience. Listen here.

The acclaimed folk artist blends hypnotic folk with subtle threads of Americana and the timeless spirit of 1970s singer-songwriters. Written in the wake of her husband Stephen’s death from cancer in October 2022, the record explores loss, grief, memory, and transformation. Within its sorrow sit real glimpses of joy, gratitude, and rediscovery.

“A lot of it was written in the run up to and aftermath of my husband Stephen’s death from cancer,” Lucy explains. “Some of these songs began as tiny poems I started writing as a way of capturing thoughts and feelings with no intention or pressure to turn them into songs, but over time some of them found their melody.”

For Lucy, the making of the record became something restorative rather than purely sorrowful. “For me, making this album was actually an incredibly life affirming, quite joyful experience,” she says. “I’m interested in exploring the idea of rebirth through creativity, coming back to ourselves through our art and making something beautiful out of something hard.”

Her command of folk runs across all 11 songs. Opener “Winter King” uses chilling imagery as a metaphor for yearning, while “The Boatman” carries the resistance often found in traditional folk. “I like how it’s a grief song but also feels defiant in the face of death,” Lucy notes. “Milk & Honey,” inspired by vivid dreams, is a slow, romantic sway about wishing for things to be simpler and coming to terms with the fact that you can’t have that.

Other songs sit more unflinchingly in sorrow. “The Ways We Were,” recorded with Jon Thorne on double bass, reflects on the disorienting passage of time after loss. “Chemo Song,” written during the final stages of Stephen’s first round of chemotherapy, evokes a suspended reality. “It felt like we were shut off in our own little world, like something out of a fairy tale,” Lucy recalls. Both are carried by raw, intimate vocals, with understated production that lets the words and her voice breathe.

The weight is balanced by lighter moments: the jazz-tinged “Sunny Days,” the country shuffle of “Red Skies,” and the hopeful air of “Olivia,” about helping a friend when all you can offer is time, an ear, and a bottle of wine. “In My Corner” addresses the loss of your biggest cheerleader while still looking forward, and closer “September’s Come,” just vocals and guitar, finds Lucy reclaiming a month once her favourite, now marked by her husband’s passing.

The reviews have been glowing, with four-star ratings from MOJO, Louder Than War, Shindig, and Songlines, and CLASH calling the record utterly beguiling. “Making this album re-built me more than anything else,” Lucy says. “I felt like it brought me back to myself and what I love to do.”