I released A-OK on the 6th of April 2020. I’m writing this post 20 months later. I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long. But so much has happened in those 20 months. It doesn’t surprise me that this note, and the release of my new song – Glory Days – are only happening now.

I wrote this song at a strange time… let me provide the setting.

I just flipped through my photos from summer 2020 – the sun was out, as was the pool, there were days at the beach, family bike rides with friends …but if i recall it was a wet summer. And short lived. I was practicing with my cover band in the back garden… we were in partial lockdown and couldn’t gather indoors yet, so band rooms were closed.

Everyone who could was working from home, myself included and we were all cheering for the NHS every Thursday evening at the bottom of our driveways. There was a great sense of community.

We woke up in August to watch our neighbour’s house burn down. Heart-breaking. I’m happy to report that their house has since been re-built and they are back in. You would never know.

Later that month we build a cabin in the back garden and by September we had a very energetic addition to the family… a border collie. And he’s never been cuter.

My friend Andrew uncovered an early video recording of my 1st band from Durban, South Africa – Nevermore! 
I was out of school and at university, maybe 18 or 19 years old, long hair and looking very grunge. It was a nostalgic reminder… that as many years have passed SINCE that recording as I was old IN that recording. If that makes sense…

The days flew by, Autumn into Winter, and by the end of January 2021 we had the most beautiful snowfall. Now this post is not intended to be a journal, only to provide some context.

All of this feels like a normal slice of life, except that it was far from normal. We were all living under the shadow of a pandemic. Vaccines hadn’t been developed yet and the best we could do was keep our distance from each other, wash our hands and wear a mask. High streets were empty, shops were closed and trains ran empty to and from an empty capital. The world seemed deserted.

So with that as a backdrop to the writing of A-OK, it could have gone one of 2 ways. Either I express my angst, frustration and anxiety in some kind of up-tempo hard rocker, or i turn it around and write something lighter, something upbeat, hopeful, shamelessly pop with some throw-away lyrics. I went for the latter and I can honestly say this is one of my favourite songs. I’m really proud of the arrangement and the production. I’m getting better at this home recording stuff! And dropping a saxophone solo in the mix just made my day.

So… what is A-OK? It’s a hopeful and positive reaction to the pandemic, to the new found restrictions we were living under and to some extent still are. That there will be a ‘brand new day’, that everything will be OK, and that although sometimes it’s a struggle to do so, you need to remain positive, tough it out and life will return to normal, or close enough.