Family Stereo, the recording alias of singer-songwriter Blake Watt (son of Everything But The Girl’s Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt), has shared DLR, the propulsive third single from his debut album The Thread, out 31st July via Bella Union.
Led by lush piano, lap steel and xylophone twinkles, DLR wraps an upbeat indie-rock melody around contemplative lyrics about growing up, the youthful spritz of the playing offsetting the reflection at its centre. It comes with a charming video in which Watt is kidnapped and taken on a personal odyssey.
The single follows Fault Lines and Waiting On Nina, and continues an evolution that prefers to refine rather than embellish. “I think my writing has been getting more pared-back as I’ve progressed,” Watt says. “I find more and more that simple is better. I love telling a story in the simplest way or conveying a feeling in the simplest way, with not too many frills.”
A former drummer, the 25-year-old took up guitar at 15, drawing on Elliott Smith, John Martyn, Neil Young and Adrianne Lenker as he made early folk-pop forays with songs like Robot Boy and My Favourite Band. He honed his voice live across festival slots including Kendal Calling and headline shows at London’s Windmill and the Lexington, and in 2025 appeared at Moth Club with a reconvened Everything but the Girl, covering Removed.
The Thread was recorded over nine months in the north London studio of producer Sam Hodder-Williams, who handled string arrangements and played acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin and synths. Pendo Masote (violin), Tom Allan (banjo), Ella Bleakley (backing vocals) and George Vaux (bass) add further colour. “I wanted to explore folk songwriting but with a kind of lush arrangement,” Watt says. “We wanted to throw everything in the pot but keep it kind of natural.”
Family Stereo play four UK headline shows in September:
Thursday 17th September — London — The Lexington
Tuesday 22nd September — Bristol — The Louisiana
Wednesday 23rd September — Manchester — Gullivers
Thursday 24th September — Glasgow — The Glad Café
The Thread (31st July 2026) Bella Union
Pre-Order The Thread: https://bfan.link/the-thread