Neon CurrentRadio Listen
Cover of Golden Hour Calling

Album · 2023

Golden Hour Calling

by Zuri Bell

Soft-focus soul-pop and smooth afrobeats for early mornings, old photographs and phone calls you finally make.

Tracks

  1. 1. Photograph in the ShoeboxA shoebox, a ribbon of red and a photograph I had forgotten. It sets the tone for the whole album.soul-pop, nostalgic pop2:52
  2. 2. Lost Umbrella, Found YouI left my umbrella on a train and found a smile in the rain. It is the single, and it is meant to be hummed on the way to work.romantic pop, morning-radio pop2:39
  3. 3. Empty Chair at the Breakfast TableTwo cups out and I put one back. It is the quietest grief on the record, and also the most hopeful.tender pop, piano pop3:12
  4. 4. Borrowed Sky Blue JacketAn evening, a jacket round my shoulders and a first feeling that it might be love. It sounds like a blue hour.dreamy pop, romantic pop2:45
  5. 5. Your Jacket Still Smells Like RainThe jacket still smells like rain, and the groove is slow enough to sway to. It is my favourite bassline of the album.smooth dance-pop, soul-pop2:23
  6. 6. Sorry I Took So Long to CallSorry I took so long to call. Everyone has a name on their screen they have been meaning to answer.smooth afrobeats, melancholy soul3:34
  7. 7. Mama Walks a Little SlowerMama walks slower now, and I have learned to walk with her. The market stall is where I wrote the verse.tender pop, nostalgic pop2:56
  8. 8. Grandpa's Hat on the HookA hat on a hook outside the kitchen door, still waiting. Grandpa would have hated the fuss, so it stays small.cosy pop, acoustic pop2:29
  9. 9. Photo Booth Strip in My WalletFour little pictures in a strip, tucked behind my bus pass. It is the sweetest memory I carry in my wallet.nostalgic pop, smooth pop2:10
  10. 10. Stay on the Line While It RainsRain on the window and a phone in my hand. I recorded it under a blanket with the microphone on a pillow.soul-pop, cosy pop3:13
  11. 11. Before I Press SendThumb above the button, cursor on the line. It closes the record in a whisper, and the choir hums us out.hushed pop, bedroom pop2:50

Liner notes

This album is what radio sounds like at seven in the morning, when the light is gold and everyone is a little tender. It made me a morning-radio fixture, which still amuses me, because I used to be so late for everything. I wrote about jackets that smell like rain, an empty chair at breakfast, and a call I took too long to make. The choir is mostly humming this time, and I love how close the microphone feels.

Zuri Bell