Beth Orton returns with new album ‘The Ground Above’

Over 30 years into her career, Beth Orton returns with her unique mix of folk, classic rock, and a splash of cosmic electronics with ‘The Ground Above’. The title track is the lead single, and at over eight and a half minutes, it bucks the usual lead single tropes and goes for pure artistic excellence instead. The single starts off with a collage of forward and backward guitars before picking up pace with increasingly more bombastic and dynamic drums.

On almost every Beth Orton album, there’s at least one extended track that flies off into the cosmos, usually via trip-hop or skittish folk-rock routes, and this track follows that legacy. The electronics, piano, bass and trumpet all seep in with a smoky, jazz-rock timelessness. Beth eggs us on with the lyrics “come on, kiss me like you know what I am for”, as passion and musicianship boil over. It’s a track that makes you wait for it, but the final three minutes unleash the recoil beautifully. It’s also a song that works exceptionally well with headphones. There are a lot of tiny details and flourishes you’ll miss on the first listen, so it’s a track that rewards patience and repeat listens.

‘The Ground Above’ is released on the 26th June, and contains eight tracks that document motherhood, identity, political unease and choosing to stay engaged in the world whilst surviving it. That could be engaged in love, in art, or in the world around us. Beth Orton says this is her most direct and unapologetic music to date. She’s recruited a cavalcade of talent to play on the album. Performers include Shahzad Ismaily (bass), Tom Herbert (bass), Sam Beste (piano), Vishal Nayak (drums), Chris Vatalaro (drums), and Christos Styliadnes (trumpet). Beth self-produced the album, which started out with initial live recordings, before being sculpted into their final form over the following year. It’s been four years since 2022’s ‘Weathering Alive’, so I’m excited to hear what Beth has in store for us.

For more information about the album and tour dates, visit Beth Orton’s website.

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