Released: May 12
Almost 40 years after Go West released their hit debut album, Peter Cox returns to his first musical home at Chrysalis Records for his latest LP.
The 10-track record is the singer’s first long-player in over a decade and has been a long-time coming, with lead single and album opener Too Far Gone arriving back in 2021, but with timeless production from original producer Gary Stevenson underpinning Cox’s distinctive vocals, ‘Seaglass’ could be traced back to any point in the past four decades.
On She Wants Magic, rolling drums and eighties synths hark back to the group’s early years, while Brave New World, with its shiny keys and uplifting layered harmonies, looks to a bright future.
Of the tracks, nine are penned by the performer himself, while his cover of American singer-songwriter Donna Missal’s Jupiter, co-written with indie superstar Sharon Van Etten, is a stunning reinterpretation that oozes passion while showcasing Cox’s versatility as a vocalist and building to a rousing climax.
Closing with the feelgood Confidant, on which he pledges, ‘You’ll be safe with me / No regret you need to hide / No secret that you can’t confide’, it’s a lyric that ties together the themes of the album while reflecting his musical journey to this point..
It was in 1997 that Peter released his first solo LP and over the past 25 years he’s continued to deliver new material and play live to fans around the world. Strikingly, the record is sequenced like a live show – opening with a bang and weaving through uptempo numbers and stirring ballads, before ending on a high – there’s a warm familiarity to the album that captures the magic of a time gone by.
On ‘Seaglass’, the stars align and whether it’s returning to Chrysalis or reuniting with Stevenson, Cox is reinvigorated and ready to deliver his strongest body of work in a long time.
READ MORE: Peter Cox doesn’t anticipate a new Go West album: ‘What would be the point?’ [Exclusive]