Billy Gardner and Friends – Last Of The Natural Light

“Last of the Natural Light” is the debut album and collaboration project from Billy Gardner and Friends. Recorded sporadically over the past five years, the project began as an attempt to finish a collection of half-written songs, before evolving into a standalone body of work with its own distinct style, sound and creative process.

There is a distinct influence from the Baroque Pop arrangements of Lee Hazlewood, folk rock earworms of Neil Young, the glitter stomp of T-Rex, the atmospheric soundtracks of Morricone and Moroder or early Eno, but these influences feel less like reference points and more like building blocks. Subtle nods absorbed into something entirely its own. More than anything “Last of the Natural Light” sounds like the product of decades spent obsessively listening to records and jamming with friends – some of which contribute to this album, collecting fragments of sound over time and finally placing the puzzle pieces together as a record that feels both personal, familiar and timeless, without ever sounding nostalgic.