Benjamin Francis Leftwich

Fans of Leftwich’s earlier work will associate him with a rich but pared-back acoustic singer-songwriter sound. Hits such as Atlas Hands and Shine – both from his Top 40 debut Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm – were infused with a charming wistfulness.

Artistic transformation is often associated with a blast of fanfare – the dramatic unveiling of a new look, or lofty announcement of the revelation that prompted such a change. In the case of Leftwich, reinvention transpires with significantly more subtlety on his latest album, Some Things Break. “It feels like a new voice, in a way” the York-born artist says. “I guess a more human and perhaps a more surrendered voice. Learning to hold on to certain things and let go of other with as much grace as possible… I feel like I’m hiding less on this record. Ultimately I think it’s a record about a kind of slow acceptance that some things break, and for me, sometimes that’s necessary for healing”.