Pale Afternoons is the glorious new album from Stephen Grady. It’s a record overflowing with open-eyed hope, belief and humanity. Whether it’s the disorientation and adventure of stepping off a bus in a strange place, empathy for friends that won’t let you in, or the ubiquity of testing relationships, this is an album everyone with a heart can relate to.

Written in the spring and summer of 2018/19, Stephen reminds us of the revelation that is nature (Spring), the joy of freedom (What Are You Doing Tonight?) and the confounding conundrum of the human condition (Neighbours). The penultimate song is Nothing Can Get To Me Now, and in this form, it’s impossible to disagree.

Stephen will be playing and touring extensively from September 2019 through to autumn 2020. He had a very clear vision for this album and it’s beautifully realised. These songs will become good friends. It’s an achingly good collection of tracks which calls to mind Ray Lamontagne, Gordon Lightfoot, Midlake, and Gregory Alan Isakov amongst others.

Imagine “…floating away in a heavenly bliss…”. This is a record that will set you free.