John Smith - The Living Kind

‘The Living Kind’ is the new album from critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and guitarist John Smith and is the first body of new music since his sixth studio album ‘The Fray’, which helped him amass over 100 million streams on Spotify. The announcement arrives with the new single and title track, an ode to living life to its fullest and the second taste of the album to be revealed, following the glorious single ‘The World Turns’ at the end of last year. 

On ‘The Living Kind’, John Smith’s generational talent on the guitar and unique synthesis of styles puts him halfway across the Atlantic. Produced by Joe Henry (Lisa Hannigan, Rhiannon Giddens, Guy Pearce, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez), it is a gloriously subtle and moving 10 track collection that is a truly contemporary body of work.

Recorded entirely live at Joe Henry’s home in Maine, the idea for the album was first cooked up at the start of 2022, when Joe and John decided to make an intimate record together – “an acoustic album that sounded like Spirit of Eden”, Smith explains, referencing Talk Talk’s 1988 classic. Along with John Martyn’s Solid Air and Joni Mitchell’s electro-acoustic odyssey Hejira, it was one of the three creative inspirations for The Living Kind.

‘The Living Kind’ is a truly cohesive song-cycle that seems to be cast in one rich tone-colour, one powerful mood. As John explains, the album is about “responsibility and being keenly aware of your place within a family dynamic. When I started writing these songs, I knew immediately what was happening; in the space of three years, I had essentially become a different person and had a lot more to deal with. I wrote the songs just as we were beginning to rebuild our lives. They are about changing for the better in the face of loss. Celebrating the good things and facing up to the bad. Staying positive, trying to keep an eye on the centre, holding on to those we love and working towards a better future.”

TRACKLISTING:

1. Candle
2. Milestones
3. The Living Kind
4. Trick of the Light
5. Silver Mine
6. Dividing Line
7. Too Good To be True
8. Horizons
9. The World Turns
10. Lily