| Track | Album / EP |
|---|---|
| Hold Your Mind | Hold Your Mind |
| Co-op | Already, Always |
| All You Can Do | Already, Always |
| Olivia, In A Separate Bed | Already, Always |
| Acts Of Man | Live At Roundhouse (Midlake) |
| Fan Favourite | Light Sleeper |
| The Weeping | Light Sleeper |
| Crowds | Light Sleeper |
| More Than Science | More Than Science EP |
| Anything You Ask | More Than Science EP |
This ten-track selection is in release date order.
Introduction
When folk-pop singer-songwriter Bess Atwell performed my favourite song of 2024 at the Hare & Hounds, south Birmingham in October of that year, she paused midway, concerned for the welfare of an audience member. Thankfully, there was no emergency, and she went back to the beginning.
I’d discovered Bess’ music at Moseley Folk & Arts Festival a few weeks earlier. I’ve therefore seen her perform Crowds 2½ times; a bittersweet reflection on staying friends, it is gentle, warm, compassionate and quite beautiful.
In a little over six weeks, I had gone from a faint recognition of Bess Atwell to becoming hooked on her music.
The Songs
Bess Atwell was born in south London in 1994. She also has roots in Brighton, a part of the world which, to these ears, punches well above its weight in contemporary music.
Hold Your Mind is the dramatic title track of Bess’ 2016 debut album. Her singing voice today has an added richness and depth.
Co-op is the first track on Bess’ second album, Already, Always, released in 2021. It’s an extraordinary song about ordinary lives and about humming all the way home whatever was playing at the local supermarket.
The second song on that sophomore LP, All You Can Do, is a gorgeous midtempo track. I love the slightly retro keyboards in the chorus.
Olivia, In A Separate Bed was written by Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes; a song to which Bess’ elegant voice is perfectly suited. The first few bars especially are stunning.
This is me in the darkness at the merch stand alongside Bess and a signed copy of Already, Always after her gig in Birmingham.
I had gone to Moseley Folk Festival in 2024 first and foremost to see the Staves (who were very good). Bess’ performance, however, blew me away, and by the next morning my wife and I had booked tickets to see her again just a few weeks later. My previous visit to Moseley had been to see Midlake, two years earlier. Bess made an appearance at the band’s 2022 Roundhouse gig on the same tour, a recording of which was released on Record Store Day the following year. On Acts Of Man, she adapts her voice to a mournful tune, higher and in a more traditional folk style.
Bess Atwell’s most recent studio album, Light Sleeper, was produced by Aaron Dessner (The National) at Long Pond Studio, New York.
My first of three picks from Light Sleeper is a song with an appropriate title: Fan Favourite. In March 2025, I counted down my top fifteen (unranked) Bess Atwell songs daily on Bluesky. This dreamy midtempo tune launched my playlist.
Bess’ sensitive, thoughtful lyrics came to the fore on Light Sleeper, and never more so than on The Weeping. At her Birmingham gig, I sensed that Bess had built a considerable following amongst her own demographic, and the authenticity of her writing is surely a significantly contributing factor. Notwithstanding that, when Bess sings “everything bothers me”, her vulnerability strikes a chord across generations of fans, me included.
The More Than Science EP, a companion piece to Light Sleeper, also produced by Dessner, was released later in 2024. That I should include two of those three songs in my list – the title track and Anything You Ask – indicates the strength in depth of Bess’ songwriting during this period and clearly shows that those Long Pond sessions were overflowing with the most magical sounds.
Bess Atwell’s Light Sleeper tour took her to North America and Australia, before concluding in September 2025 at the spectacular Minack Theatre, Penzance, Cornwall. Bess very recently announced on Instagram that she will be working on a new record in Los Angeles in January 2026.
Amazon Music told me that Bess Atwell was my top artist of 2025; I have listened to her music for 1,015 minutes, although until we find a way of including vinyl in those numbers, that’s really only half the story. It is, after all, more than science.
Near Misses
#11 Harvested – Big Blue EP
#12 Pearl – Folklore Volume 1 – Brighton artists split 7″ compilation (2018)
#13 Mood Painting (duet) – White Out – George Ogilvie album (2020)
#14 I Am Awake – Light Sleeper
#15 Light Sleeper – Light Sleeper
Bess Atwell Studio Albums + EPs
Hold Your Mind (2016)
Big Blue EP (2019)
Already, Always (2021)
Light Sleeper (2024)
More Than Science EP (2024)
Paul Wright shares new music on Bluesky whilst hoping to discover his next favourite artist amongst your collection.
TopperPost #1,182
Pete Cummins
What a great voice and some very fine songs. Reminds me of Beth Orton at times and that is a high compliment in my book. Thanks again for this excellent piece…
Thank you Andrew, I really appreciate your encouragement. I’m glad that you enjoyed the music and yes, Bess/Beth is a very good comparison.