“Not the Only One” by Kris Delmhorst is a gorgeously-crafted, deeply sensitive song, a reflection on life and loss and a song that will leave thoughts and feelings with you long after listening. Lyrically, the song refers to a host of different people, beautifully brought to life through Delmhorst’s carefully chosen descriptions, before bringing everyone together through universal feelings and experiences: “You’re not the only one here with a broken heart.” The writing and arrangement are elegant and masterful, with Delmhorst’s voice supported brilliantly by the backing vocals from the equally outstanding Anna Tivel. Warmth, depth and texture are added by Erik Koskinen’s electric guitars and Sam Kassirer’s Farfisa organ.
The video, created by Delmhorst and J. Elon Goodman, is a wonderful piece of work, artfully-shot and thought provoking just like the words of Delmhorst’s song. It’s always pleasing when such creativity, inventiveness and thought goes into making a visual that enhances and adds to a song as effectively as this.
This is the third single from Kris Delmhorst’s new album, “Ghosts in the Garden”, which was released today, 7th March 2025. It’s a richly-layered collection of intimate songs, exploring grief and loss and the invisible sorrows we all bear. Delmhorst reflects: “This chapter of life is so complex, with ageing parents and a kid inching towards the edge of the nest, and the world teetering on the brink of various forms of collapse. And I’ve lost people, like everyone, and I lie awake at night thinking about ways the future could play out that scare the shit out of me, like everyone. All of this starts to collapse the layers of existence into each other, so it feels like everything is happening at once, past and the future crowding into the present tense. It can be overwhelming, but also sometimes beautiful or even revelatory – and that’s what all these songs are chewing on, one way or another.” Through the individual characters and lives in her songs, Delmhorst binds us together with communal threads of experience and feeling – it’s accomplished and timeless.
