Brushes with modernity have evolved the folk movement in a multitude of ways both commercialized and utterly unexpected. It’s safe to say that Jon Boden‘s work falls into the latter category. In this case? It’s not a bad thing.
In an ambitious move that only Boden could’ve made, his upcoming album, Afterglow, is centered around navigating the world in a “post-peak oil” apocalyptic future.
Upon first listen, one might weigh that the sweeping, string-laden anthem, “All the Stars Are Coming Out Tonight” is mostly based on fantasy. After all, it’s centered on a vision of the future that hasn’t happened yet and might not for some time, if ever. However, further listening unveils the slight glimmer of hope for humanity interwoven between political undertones that feel very real in the now.
“Without easy access to electric light and with a shortage of oil, our lives will again become bounded by the astronomical cycle of the universe, and our relationship with the stars will become closer, uninhibited by artificial light pollution,” says Boden.
“I wanted the stars to have a big presence on the album, particularly Orion who, as a ‘hunter’, is someone who our hero identifies with as he searches the city for a girl he knew once but hasn’t seen for many years.”
Afterglow releases on 6 October.