Led by singer-songwriter Stephen McAll, Constant Follower return next month with their new album The Smile You Send Out Returns To You. Reviewed here, Thomas Blake concludes his album review: “It may have taken McAll two decades to realise his musical ambitions in the face of personal hardship, but that long gestation period has resulted in a handful of releases that are characterised by maturity, perfectionism and an unmatched emotional depth. It feels as if the songs on The Smile You Send Out Returns To You have been nurtured, perhaps subconsciously, over that whole twenty-year period, resulting in an incredibly moving and distinctive album.”
Constant Follower have shared their new single, ‘Almost Time to Go.’ McCall conceived the song during a period of solitude at a remote cottage belonging to his cousin Julie. As mentioned in his review, Blake describes the song, built around a circular acoustic guitar motif courtesy of Andrew ‘Kurd’ Pankhurst and Andy Aquarius’ meditative harp, as beautiful, with an intense sense of balance and centredness.
The dream-like video, filmed and directed by Kris Boyle, accentuates that centredness and the inevitable passage of time, something we are never able to grasp in out arms and hold onto.
McAll shares:
“One evening, as the sun was setting, I started playing this simple arpeggio on my guitar, and it just felt… ancient… like it had always been. The stillness of that place, the sense of being away from everything, made me reflect on the moments when we hold on, even when everything around us is telling us to let go. The cottage had an old clock that was a few minutes fast—it felt like time was constantly slipping away, urging us to move forward. When Andy Aquarius and I were discussing collaborating again, I knew his harp would bring that sense of urgency and calm to the track. It was almost like the song was waiting for him to complete it.”
The Smile You Send Out Returns To You (28th February 2025) Last Night From Glasgow.
Pre-Order (Vinyl LP / CD / Lossless DL): https://shop.lastnightfromglasgow.com/products/constant-followe-new-vinyl-lp-cd-lossless-dl-exclusive
Live Dates: 27th Feb Glasgow, Cottiers Theatre (Album Launch)
