The 5 songs that comprise Redshift are as close as blood and as distant as the furthest galaxies. “These songs are part of me,” says Karl, “but the challenging times that inspired them are thankfully quickly receding into the past, moving away into the recesses of cosmic time, thank God. But these songs sure exist though, as cathartic imprints or afterimages.”

Redshift signifies a return to writing and performing for Karl after the release of Last! 2 years ago, a double album that he intended to be his final release, and which precedes a full-length album planned for release later this year. “You can take the man out of the music, but you can’t take the music out of the man,” admits Culley.

As Culley matures into his forties, so does the timbre of his voice deepen and mature. And the guitar work, in contrast to the blistering fingerstyle, that has earned Karl praise since the release of his debut album in 2010 – “Dazzling acoustic guitar reminiscent of John Martyn at his most fluid, with a Bert Jansch-like percussive snap.” MOJO – this time takes on a fluttering, febrile, ghostly quality.

Redshift was recorded by engineer Jarosław Zawadski and produced by multi-instrumentalist Daniel Webster who coaxes the songs into their fullest expression; “Daniel’s a genius, full stop, and I’m lucky to be working with him again” – Webster produced Culley’s second album The Owl.

The Sea

“Runswick Bay, UK, night, the surface calm as a millpond, reflecting the full moon like a silver-blue road. The galaxy shines in the void with its own weird smoke of stars. People often tell of being made to feel insignificant when galaxy-gazing, but life, improbably seeded in the cosmos, is anything but.”

Marked

At carnivals, in days gone by, people that appeared to be easily duped (easy marks) were given a chalk mark on their backs to alert the other con men. This song is about fate; and being picked out by it for a doomed romance. Of course, fate never had anything to do with it. It was my weaknesses and proclivities that really drew me past the event horizon.

Forgo The night

“I love movies and this song was inspired The Village by M. Night Shyamalan.
It’s about the abstraction of fear, and about the real possibility of overcoming inherited anxiety and cultural shackles.”

I let Go

“Taking form over many years this song explores the escaping of bounds, confinement, both internal and external, which of course, sadly, has become even more relevant in this COVID era.

The Soul is the king

This song is about being in shape, in good condition, physically, professionally, but with one vital component, the soul, fraying and in need of sustenance. If you’re not in shape spiritually, if you harbor a malady of the spirit, then you’re in no shape at all.