There’s an unmistakable glow around Craig Edmonds’ third album. View From This Side feels like the moment where his universe fully aligns — the point where all those hazy influences of 70s soft rock, 60s psychedelia, sunshine pop, and modern indie-folk finally orbit in harmony. It’s an album of self-reflection and gentle revelation, built from the quiet moments between chaos — and, crucially, it’s one that sounds entirely his own.
As with all of Edmonds’ work, everything here is self-made. Every note, harmony, guitar line and drumbeat flows from one pair of hands — written, performed, recorded, mixed, mastered, and wrapped in artwork by the South Londoner himself. Yet what could easily sound isolated instead radiates connection. View From This Side is both deeply personal and quietly communal — a letter to the self that somehow speaks to everyone.
Faded Photograph
The album opens with a memory suspended in amber. Faded Photograph captures Edmonds at his most nostalgic — soft acoustic strums, reverb-soaked harmonies and a melody that drifts like sunlight through old curtains. It’s a perfect introduction: wistful, melodic, and full of the warmth that threads through the entire record.
Take Some Time
This track leans further into the golden-hour energy. A buoyant rhythm and crisp electric jangle recall the ease of early McCartney or the chiming optimism of Teenage Fanclub. But beneath the breezy tone lies a message of patience and self-forgiveness — a theme that will quietly anchor the whole album.
Seems A Shame
A song wrapped in bittersweet psych haze, Seems A Shame swirls between melancholy and melody. Layers of electric and acoustic guitars shimmer like overlapping memories, the vocals soft but resolute. It’s a moment of tension and release, where Edmonds’ “psychedelic soft rock” really takes shape.
Chosen To Fly
Here lies the first major lift-off. Chosen To Fly feels like the album’s spiritual core — a song about courage and self-belief, soaring over an ascending chord progression that could have been cut from Pet Sounds. The harmonies are rich and wide, the rhythm pulsing with quiet conviction. It’s one of the record’s standout moments, the kind that feels both intimate and universal.
Mind Like A Motorbike
A flash of energy cuts through the dreaminess. Mind Like A Motorbike revs with fuzz-laden guitars and kinetic drumming, sounding like The Byrds wired through a South London garage. It’s playful and restless, a welcome burst of colour and motion midway through the record.
From Me Again
Gentle and introspective, From Me Again slows the pulse. It’s the album’s emotional pivot — fragile, open, and deeply human. The vocal delivery is beautifully unguarded, and the lyric “from me again, to me again” lands like a quiet revelation. You can feel the therapy and reflection of Edmonds’ writing process woven directly into the fabric of the song.
Amber Glow
The title says it all. Amber Glow radiates with warmth and calm, its chord progression glowing like fading sunlight. The production is lush but never overdone, with each layer from subtle organ tones to acoustic guitar textures, adding emotional depth.
Summer Rain
Here, Edmonds steps into widescreen mode. Summer Rain swells with cinematic instrumentation, capturing the bittersweet peace that comes after a storm. It’s pure late-60s romanticism filtered through a 21st-century lens think George Harrison meets The Coral.
August Flowers
A moment of stillness and grace. August Flowers feels like a pause for breath — tender, meditative, and quietly thankful. It’s reflective, heartfelt, and it blossoms with the kind of storytelling that sticks with you long after the song ends. Think rich, textured vocals, a guitar that gently pulls at your soul, and lyrics that capture those fleeting moments of life you never forget. The melody carries an almost hymnal quality, as if Edmonds has found some kind of peace by this point in the journey.
I Feel More Me
The self-discovery theme crystallises here. With its soft percussion and lilting chorus, I Feel More Me sounds like the light finally breaking through the clouds. It’s a song that perfectly captures Edmonds’ current moment not triumphant, but at ease. The production glistens with confidence; every note feels deliberate.
A View From This Side
The closing track — and title song — ties the whole record together. A gentle, panoramic reflection, it blends all the album’s sonic colours: jangling guitars, stacked harmonies, and lyrical honesty. The phrase “view from this side” feels like both acceptance and understanding — a statement from someone who’s taken stock of their life and can finally look outward again. It’s the perfect conclusion to an album built on introspection and quiet transformation.
Across View From This Side, Craig Edmonds has created something quietly extraordinary — a record that distils therapy, memory and melody into a single cohesive vision. Each song feels like a step in an emotional journey, from reflection to renewal.
Sonically, it’s a rich mosaic: soft-rock nostalgia meets psych-folk colour, stitched together with modern indie sensibility. But what truly elevates it is Edmonds’ perspective — his ability to take the universal ache of self-understanding and turn it into something warm, melodic and utterly human.
If On The Common hinted at evolution, View From This Side is the arrival point — a fully realised, soul-soaked masterpiece from one of South London’s most quietly gifted storytellers.
View From This Side is released on Friday 7th November and will be available to download/stream here. Physical copies are available on Bandcamp.
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