Birkenhead’s master of melancholy, Kete Bowers, has unveiled his latest single “Blackwater”,  a brooding, slow-burning track that reaffirms his status as one of Britain’s most compelling storytellers. Recorded in his intimate home studio, the song finds Bowers at his rawest, channeling the same stark emotional power that made his Paper Ships album so unforgettable.

From its opening notes, “Blackwaters” pulls listeners into its shadowy world. A sparse acoustic guitar line sets the stage for Bowers’ weathered baritone, a voice that sounds like it carries decades of Northern England’s hopes and hardships in every syllable. The arrangement builds with almost painful restraint, leaving space for the weight of each lyric to land:

“The blackwaters rise again,
Pulling at the ties that remain,
Every ghost I ever knew
Comes swimming back to you…”

What makes Bowers’ songwriting so gripping is his ability to transform personal sorrow into universal truth. Here, the “blackwater” serves as both literal and metaphorical force.

The production (handled solely by Bowers this time) strips everything back to essentials, just voice, guitar, and the occasional swell of atmospheric harmonica. It’s a world away from the polished studio sheen of Paper Ships, but the rawness serves the material perfectly. When he sings “I built my house on shifting sand”, you feel the instability in the very grain of his voice.

For longtime fans, “Blackwaters” delivers everything they love about Bowers: the unflinching lyricism, the nods to folk tradition without being bound by it, and that rare ability to find beauty in life’s harshest truths. New listeners will discover an artist working in the same lineage as Nick Cave’s darker ballads or Richard Hawley’s Northern elegies.

With whispers of a new album on the horizon, “Blackwaters” suggests Bowers is diving even deeper into his distinctive brand of poetic, soul-stirring songcraft. The single is available now on all platforms, though this music demands to be heard late at night, with the volume up and distractions left at the door.

After nearly a decade between albums, “Blackwater” proves Bowers hasn’t lost his touch. If anything, time has only sharpened his ability to distill life’s complexities into songs that haunt and heal in equal measure.

Watch The Official Video For “Blackwaters” Here:

Stream “Blackwater”:open.spotify.com/track/0WnA