‘Country Mile’ is the brand new single from Ireland’s best-kept songwriting secret, John Blek. It is set for release on July 19, 2024, and is taken from his eagerly awaited new album, Cheer Up, which is due out in September on Bigger River Recording Co.
The single features guest vocals by Dutch trio Woolf, beautiful arrangements by the Dresden-based Broken Strings and production from John’s long-time collaborator, Brian Casey, recorded at Wavefield Recordings.
“Part of the joy of my life is getting to meet other artists. I played some shows with Woolf in the Netherlands, and we immediately clicked. The first time I heard them sing together, I knew I wanted to work with them and hear their voices add a new depth to my own songs. It was the same with Moritz Brümmer and Filip Sommer (The Broken Strings) who I met on an artist in residence programme in Dresden back in 2022.”
Sometimes, a tough time lasts a long time. This is a song for the protectors, the friends and family whose strength drags us through. The people who give space and time to those who need it to rest, recover and realise there’s a way out. It’s a thank you to them.
“A good friend of mine had been struggling with depression. He had been distancing himself from his partner, who had been doing all she could do to take care of him. He was beginning to come out the other side of a particularly bad period, and he asked me if I would write a song for him to give to his wife to help him say thank you for understanding. We spoke about it, and I went away and wrote Country Mile. It wasn’t a foreign idea to me; unfortunately, I’ve found myself in the same situation on many occasions. So many people have. Hopefully, this song will offer a little solace to those who care and those who need it.”
‘Country Mile’ is the first single from John’s deeply personal and beautifully written long player Cheer Up. With no sign of letting up, the ever-prolific and masterful songwriter brings us his ninth studio album, a powerful reflection on the singer/songwriter’s life. Lyrically demonstrating his personal growth while sonically showing his musical evolution. To some, this may seem like a stylistic departure. To others, it’s the natural next step.
PRE-SAVE ALBUM ‘CHEER UP’ HERE
Blek says, “This is a very important record for me. It’s the first of mine that is entirely autobiographical from start to finish. Also, in the past, I have tried to be quite restrained when it came to the production of my songs, but this time around, I wanted to adopt a more is more approach. I wanted to allow each song to dictate its own natural path and take it as far as I could with the resources available to me.”
Cheer Up will be released on September 6 on John’s label, Bigger River Recording Co.
TOUR DATES – TICKETS HERE
20/9 Loves, Weston-Super-Mare
21/9 Medina Bookshop, Isle of Wight
22/9 Cafe No. 9, Sheffield
23/9 The Lightship, Blyth
25/9 St. Lawrence’s Church, Biddulph
26/9 The Green Note, London
27/9 Bluestone Brewery, Newport
28/9 Thimblemill Library, Smethwick
29/9 Tabernacle, St. David’s
