One of Ireland’s most distinctive and creative independent artists, John Blek, releases his new album The Midnight Ache today, following singles 747, With You and Better.
The album is a staggeringly beautiful and perfectly formed piece of alternative folk, with a lo-fi heart and touches of modest grandeur. It’s the work of an artist with a voice that could break a heart in two, and songs that could heal the most weary of souls.
Born and raised in Cork City, Blek is an artist whose life and music are inseparable. From childhood cassette sessions in the passenger seat of his father’s Hiace van – soundtracked by Jim Croce, Willie Nelson and The Beatles – to later discoveries of Bert Jansch, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, his musical education was self-led and deeply instinctive. Writing his own songs from the age of 15, Blek set out early to find a voice that was unmistakably his own, a conviction that continues to define his work.
That fiercely independent spirit is at the core of The Midnight Ache. With 11 beautiful recordings, this time around John has taken his DIY spirit one step further. Not only did he self-record and produce the majority of the album, he went so far as to build the recording studio with his own bare hands. A labour of love but labour all the same.
In April 2024 Blek finished building his new creative home, Bigger River Recording Co., and set about working on what would become The Midnight Ache. Echos of Sea Change-era Beck and Sparklehorse give this record a lo-fi intimacy while the string arrangements balance the sound with an element of grandeur and sophistication.
Home is very much at the heart of The Midnight Ache, featuring vocal performances by John’s wife, and even the cover is adorned with pressed flowers from their garden. Additional production and mixing was done by regular collaborator Brian Casey at Wavefield Recordings.
Speaking on the release, John says “This album took me by surprise. I was slowly writing and using the songs to try to get to know the new studio space. Sonically feeling my way around and seeing what I could achieve when all of a sudden I realised I was looking at a new record.”
Lead single Black and Blue is “an ode to the marks and bruises that decorate our pasts,” explains John – “the indelible ones that offer up the road signs to help us to hopefully become better.”
At 38, Blek has a catalogue of music that would represent a life’s work for many musicians, with nine studio albums to date. He is a career musician, and has dedicated his working life to developing his art. Beginning his solo career in 2014, over the last eleven years Blek has built a dedicated fan base, with a well-worn path returning to play venues across Germany, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and the UK as well playing to sold out venues in Ireland.
He speaks about his craft as passionately as he performs, and will embark on a series of tour dates around Ireland, the UK and Europe over the coming weeks to celebrate the release of the album.
Streaming link: Spotify
Buy the album: https://johnblek.com/shop/