It’s easy to feel a bit nervous when the singer from a band you adore releases a solo record. You immediately assume the worst and think it’s all over. You wonder why couldn’t they just make this record as a band. Why. Why. Why. Then you stop being an overdramatic idiot, and listen to the record. Then it clicks. It clicks that they had to make a different kind of masterpiece. Something brand new, something so mighty important.

The record opens with a sentiment that is always evident in Grian’s lyrics- openness and vulnerability. There’s no denying he’s a poet. He paints the world in a way that makes you feel safe and seen. He takes the greyness of the world and turns it into something beautiful, and full of life. The Score has an understanding within it that most can relate to, then it gently goes into Last Time Every Time Forever, and it’s got a slight folk feel to it but at the heart of it all- it’s something so pure that Grian has created. It’s unlike anything else you’ve ever heard. His voice is so distinctive, and the clarity in his voice makes you connect with the lyrics even more. Fairlies sounds like a 90s Indie song but lyrically it feels like something I can’t quite work out. It has a protest feel to it, and it has depth to the lyrics that you’ve probably heard in the likes of Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Grian’s name is mentioned in the future in a list of the best songwriters ever. I’d put him there now, but in 10/20 years his art will be even more mind-blowing.

Bob’s Casino tells the story of a gentleman who is obsessed with the casino but loses everything. You can hear the sorrow; you can feel the sorrow in the lyrics. It’s such a gorgeous song, and the sadness in it still warms you because Grian’s way of singing this just makes you feel comforted. I’ve been solidly listening to this record since Friday, and I’m currently going between two songs that I’m just in love with- it’s between All Of The People and East Coast Bed.

The lyrics to All Of The People may be up there as my favourites of the year. There’s something solemn about it, but at the same time this darkness feels like a safety net. There’s a line that just hits me right in the gut, and it’s one of those lines that you wish you could have tattooed on you: “They just wanna get close enough to take the final shot. They will celebrate the things that make you who you’re not.” The violin and piano on this just adds this extra emotion. As someone who will take loud Punk music over most, this still speaks to my heart. Lyrics are so important to me, and a record like this fully shows why. Grian- you are a bloody genius. There’s a lot released in this song, and you can really feel it.

I’ve read the meaning of East Coast Bed, and I don’t think I can ever listen to it without crying. In essence, it’s about death. It’s about the death of Grian’s hurling coach who was like a second mother to him. Songs about grief and death can be heavy and traumatic to listen to, but this feels lighter. I’ll never be at the stage where I feel lighter about my Gran’s death, but there’s some reassurance in this song that maybe it’ll be alright. It is such a gorgeous song, and the way it makes you feel like you are floating off into a gentle sleep is so soothing. It’s still one of my favourites, even if it makes me bawl like a baby!

I’ve unintentionally written about six of the songs on the record, but that doesn’t mean the remaining three mean any less. They mean just as much. I love the way Salt Throwers Off A Truck sounds like it could be the name of a novel. The song itself sounds like it could be the foundations of a novel or film. I Am So Far is a haunting and melancholic one, and it is heavy but as Grian has described it, the song sounds like water. I think I understand what he means here. There is something safe about water and watching it from afar (I can’t swim so….) Open bodies of water feel really calming for me, and maybe that’s due to growing up on the Isle of Man and having access to beaches easily, and just being able to breathe in the sea air and feel somewhat calmer. You really get this from this song, and the whole record feels like you’re slowly attempting to calm down. It’s music for the soul, and it hypnotises you in the most enthralling way imaginable.

The record ends with Season For Pain- a title that Rimbaud himself would love. It’s a perfect way to end the record. It’s about moving on, and you can hear the relief in Grian’s voice on this especially at the end where you feel that he’s at the right head space to move on. When you get to that place, it is the most freeing feeling. It’s shite beforehand but when you get there, you feel lighter and better.

Nine songs in just over half an hour. You want more, of course but this record is perfection. Every song flows beautifully and perfectly into the next. Everything is in its right place, and it’s just one of the most honest and captivating records of the year. It’s the kind of record you’d give to someone and say, “Listen to this…everything will make sense and feel better.” There’s reassurance and understanding on this record, and to be honest, what more could you want.