30/05/2025
‘Just Beyond The Lights’ is the new album by The Perfect English Weather who are Wendy and Simon, a husband and wife duo from the East Sussex coast of England. Their “beautiful, slightly melancholic pop” has often drawn comparisons to artists like The Sundays and 10,000 Maniacs.
The album title is taken from a lyric in the song ‘Preston Street’, which is sung from the point of view of somebody who drives the van for a band and always picks them up “just beyond the (traffic) lights”. The title also reflects on Wendy and Simon’s move away from the big, bad city of Brighton to the edge of the Sussex Cuckmere Valley; and perhaps is a small nod to their commercial appeal being just a little outside the mainstream.
A recurring theme on the record is an enduring relationship with place. Opening track ‘Pilgrimage’ was inspired by the melancholy feeling of visiting a location that is associated with an icon and then wondering how they might have felt about the tourist industry that has sprung up around that place. It could be the John Lennon peace memorial in Central Park, Alan Turing’s office at Hut 8, Bletchley Park, or a walk across the Yorkshire moors after reading a Bronte novel. Meanwhile, ‘Paperback Reader’ takes place on a favourite park bench, where the protagonist escapes during the working day for a little longer than they really should.
There is also a trio of songs set in Wendy and Simon’s old hometown of Brighton, including singles ‘Caroline of Brunswick Square’ and ‘London-by-the-Sea’ plus the aforementioned ‘Preston Street’. Bletchley Park also finds a place in the song ‘Margaret’, whose story is based on the women who worked in the code breaking teams in WW2.
The album is officially released May 30, and is available right now in the Matinée shop, good record shops, and the usual digital platforms. The band also has copies available via their Bandcamp so if you are in the UK you may want to go there to save on postage.
The duo’s wonderful ‘Isobar Blues’ and ‘Don’t You Wanna Feel The Rain?’ albums, plus the ‘English Winter’ EP are all absolutely essential listening and still available.
Matinée shop: https://shop.matineerecordings.com/collections/new
‘Just Beyond The Lights’ is the new album by The Perfect English Weather who are Wendy and Simon, a husband and wife duo from the East Sussex coast of England. Their “beautiful, slightly melancholic pop” has often drawn comparisons to artists like The Sundays and 10,000 Maniacs. The album ti...
