Last month, we premiered the video for “Onto Something”, the captivating first single from It Was Also Sometimes Daylight, the debut solo album from Orkney-born musician Merlyn Driver.
Today, he is releasing his new single, ‘Cururu’, a captivating and unique track built around an unedited soundscape of South American frogs which offers a further glimpse into his highly anticipated debut album, set for release on October 10th, 2025.
‘Cururu’ is a testament to Driver’s deep connection with the natural world. The song originated from a collaboration with Brazilian biologist Mariana Retuci Pontes and her field recordings from the Atlantic Forest. The track is an homage to their conversations, capturing the beauty of a moment shared over the distinct calls of multiple frog species. ‘Cururu,’ as Driver explains, is the indigenous name for toads of the genus Rhinella, and the song’s delicate folk instrumentation beautifully complements the raw, organic amphibian chorus.
This new music follows Driver’s acclaimed 2022 project, Simmerdim: Curlew Sounds, which raised over £15,000 for curlew conservation. While that album was inspired by the endangered bird, It Was Also Sometimes Daylight turns inward, exploring the musician’s own childhood spent on a smallholding in Orkney without electricity. The album, recorded in both London and rural Finland, promises a raw, intimate journey through memory and nature, shaped by acoustic folk and the sounds of the wild.
The title itself, It Was Also Sometimes Daylight, comes from a simple, offhand remark about his childhood. It perfectly encapsulates the dualities of his upbringing: the challenges of a volatile home life juxtaposed with the freedom and beauty of growing up immersed in nature. It’s this balance of darkness and light, of human emotion and natural rhythm, that makes Merlyn Driver’s music so compelling.
Pre-Order the album via Bandcamp
Merlyn Driver Tour Dates
20/09 RSPB Dungeness
24/09 SOAS Concert Series (London)
26/09 RSPB Minsmere
27/09 RSPB Sandwell (Birmingham)
28/09 Cafe No 9 (Sheffield)
30/09 RSPB Conwy
01/10 RSPB South Stack (Angelsey)
02/10 RSPB Leighton Moss
04/10 Hunger Hill Farm (Haweswater)
07/10 Dundreggan Rewilding Centre
08/10 RSPB Loch Garten
10/10 Lyth Arts Centre (Wick)
11/10 Pier Arts Centre (Orkney)
17/10 Cley Marshes (Norfolk Wildlife Trust)