Elles Bailey has established herself as a favourite act of the UK Americana Music Association gathering a string of awards since 2020 as well as being championed by leading americana radio presenters like Bob Harris and Mike Ritchie. The Bristol-based singer-songwriter has announced that her latest album, ‘Beneath The Neon Glow’, will be released on 9th August 2024. The record marks her first for the Cooking Vinyl label; her previous efforts were released on her own Outlaw Records.
The switch is both about freeing her time for the creative process as well as providing the opportunity to reach a wider audience. Bailey says: “I want a long-term career in music. I love what I do. I love that I get to take it around the world. So if I can continue to do that, and just play to larger audiences and continue to grow, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
Bailey started writing the songs for what would become her fourth album last summer. Some 40 compositions, a Nashville writing trip and recording session in Devon later, Bailey – backed in the studio by her live band – had distilled the selections down to 10 tracks and, working with producer Dan Weller, completed ’Beneath the Neon Glow ’.
She is keen to emphasise her control of the creative process: “I was signed to Cooking Vinyl at the end of 2023. But they hadn’t heard the record. They hadn’t heard anything. They’re only hearing the album now.”
The album’s title illustrates Bailey’s perception of her role as performer: “I love this idea of neon glow. As an artist you’re always surrounded by lights. There’s always this haze around you. But I battled so much with impostor syndrome this last year. Listening to my voice, I’ve wanted to go back in and re-record all the vocals. I constantly don’t feel like I’m good enough… So that’s what Beneath the Neon Glow is for me: all these hidden things that you try to keep down and put in their place. It’s the chaos beneath what everyone else sees.”
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The last song written for the album was ‘Enjoy The Ride’ which has been released as the first single. Bailey says of the autobiographical lyric: “Very early on in my career a friend told me that this musical path I had chosen doesn’t have a destination, it’s a journey, a very tough journey and it’s so important to enjoy the journey”.
