Award-winning singer-songwriter Blair Dunlop will release his sixth studio album, What Still Survives, on 30 October 2026 via Navigator Records. Produced by acclaimed producer Ian Grimble (Mumford & Sons, Travis, Bear’s Den, Seth Lakeman), the album finds Dunlop at his most reflective, resilient and assured, exploring the enduring power of songs, stories and human connection. Since emerging with his BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winning debut Blight And Blossom in 2012, Dunlop has established himself as one of the UK’s most respected contemporary songwriters. Still only in his early thirties, he arrives at album six with a catalogue defined by craftsmanship, curiosity and an unwavering commitment to the song itself.
At the heart of What Still Survives lies a meditation on endurance—what remains after upheaval, what survives the passage of time, and what continues to connect us. Throughout the record, Dunlop reflects on the creative forces that shaped him, from the British folk tradition he grew up within, to the great songwriters of America’s West Coast. His affection for the art form is evident in lines such as, “All the songs I listen to were written in Pasadena, if I rip off another one they’ll give me a subpoena” while the album’s wider themes of resilience and persistence emerge in lyrics including, “Survived two mass extinctions, preserved as the sea’s inscriptions” taken from ‘Trilobite’, a love letter to our long-lost, unyielding cousins.
Recorded with a cast of long-time friends and collaborators, the album features performances from Fred Claridge (Nick Mulvey, Blanco White), JJ Stoney (Billy Bragg), Holly Brandon (The Magpies), Ellie Gowers, Tommy Heap (Billie Marten, Matthew And The Atlas), Asha Jefferies and Liz Stringer. Adding a new dimension to Dunlop’s sound, acclaimed pedal steel player CJ Hillman (Billy Bragg, Kiefer Sutherland) makes several appearances across the record.
Songwriting remains the thread that runs through every aspect of Dunlop’s creative life. Alongside friend and songwriter Duncan Haskell of Songwriting Magazine, he co-founded the highly regarded Bristol Song Circle, hosted at Rough trade Bristol, a regularly sold-out event that brings together leading songwriters to perform, discuss and demystify their craft. The pair also collaborated on ‘Take Me With You’. the theme for BBC Countryfile’s popular Plodcast, a reimagined version of which appears on What Still Survives.
Rich in melody, humour, and hard-earned perspective, What Still Survives captures an artist continuing to evolve while remaining devoted to the timeless qualities that first inspired him: great songs, honestly told. Undoubtedly, at his best.
Artist’s website: https://blairdunlop.com/
‘Soon Enough The Leaves will Turn’ – live:
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