“Intoxicating…10/10” Rhythm & Booze.com
“It’s one of the albums of the year without doubt” LouderThanWar
“Stunning” Curved Radio
“Raw, soulful and unadorned” americanaUK
“A great album” Maverick
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I like music. Mostly listening to it, but also making it and sometimes recording it. My sojourns have variously led me to call a number of places home; Adelaide, Worcester, Devon, London, and now Worthing in Sussex. Now and again I perform my musical meanderings live with just my guitar and battered green loop box for company. Sometimes I sing at festivals or in other places like the US and Germany. My music has variously been categorised as Americana, Retro-Indie Pop and ‘Other’.
Stumbling upon a vagabond song is a rare privilege. I wrote and recorded an album full of them in 2011. That record is called The Ember and it is sad because it is about losing love and that is like a window in your heart. Now I am not so blown apart and have recorded some more songs. They oscillate between melancholy, hope and the absurd. Some of them are about Ceefax and some of them are about whisky and some of them are about existentialism. My second album 2015 CRUCIBLE which was played a fair bit on the BBC features a goodly few of these.
In 2021 I finished crafting a new record Maxim with my good friend and polymath No Spinoza. It is a collection of ten reimagined nursery rhymes and was a lot of fun to make. The first single Sing a Song of Sixpence is a rumbustification of analogue synths, pounding drums and squally guitars. No blackbirds were harmed in its making. The album was released in March 2022 to critical acclaim, including a live in-session feature on BBC Radio.
I will be in musical hibernation awhile now until the next project emerges. In the meantime, thanks for listening.
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P R E S S
Maxim
“It’s a stunning record, that. Really imaginative – never heard anything like that before. So I’m really looking forward to what they produce next.”
BBC Music Introducing
“A rich collection of cinematic orchestral dream worlds, illustrious arrangements and scholarly musicianship…fit for an award winning soundtrack”
“An enchanting album meshing chamber-pop whimsy with nostalgic nursery rhymes…A stellar release”
“Beautiful…an album that truly has to be heard to be appreciated.”
“Charged with a real intensity… such an evocative sound.”
Various Small Flames
“I didn’t want to like it, I didn’t even think I would like it, but what a bloomin’ fool I am! This is so, so cool. It’s so much better than I remember the track from my childhood.”
Jericho Keys, BBC Radio York
Crucible
“Its charm and downright insubordinate addictiveness shines through on each and every one of Crucible’s eleven tracks…In short, Crucible is a quite luscious album on many levels. Drew Worthley is clearly an exciting, talented and unique artist, and if this is the sort of quality he can produce on a difficult second album then there are potentially amazing times ahead.”
“Sonically, the track combines Phil Spector’s wall of sound with a titanic swell and cinematic tension that play into the beauty and grandness of the track’s emotional themes…His songwriting is a type that breaks down many boundaries”
“The epitome of strange, retro ‘80s pop…a truly enjoyable and intriguing piece of art”
“Very clever indie pop with a skittish edge.”
“This is a stunning release with beautifully crafted songs and arrangements, really engaging lyrically and musically as it shifts from incisive folk to tracks of almost pastoral pop.”
“Equilibrio che diventa calibrato e perfettamente a fuoco in un disco che definire raffinato è dire poco…La carne al fuoco è tanta e, mi ripeto, tutta servita con grande gusto e attenzione a non debordare.”
“This is fine music on a grand scale”
“Makes you want to just stop everything and simply listen.”
“The East Londoner plays well, a sort of retro pop made new again.”
“Is this the first song to mention Bamber Boozler?”
The Ember
“The Ember is a wonderful low key release that really deserves your time and attention, like I said it’s a slow burner but when it takes hold it really takes hold and I assure you it’s not one of those albums you’ll enjoy for the moment, this one is for life.”
“Raw, soulful and unadorned…conjure[s] up some beautiful waves of atmosphere.”
americanaUK
“This debut album by this British artist is an impressive offering and shows he has set himself a benchmark which will take an extraordinary effort to even match let alone better.”
Maverick Magazine