23 Fields release third record

From the edges of England’s south coast, 23 Fields have been crafting a sweeping blend of folk, rock and Americana that captures both rugged textures and delicate melodies. Fronted by singer and guitarist Step Adams, alongside violinist Louise Driver and percussionist Jason M. Smith, the trio’s music moves with a timeless storytelling context, offering songs that trace the contours of life’s small yet profound moments with a sincerity that’s disarmingly human.

23 Fields represents a long-awaited return to music for Step, not so much a new chapter, but a homecoming; raised in Hastings during the 90s, his early influences came from across the alternative spectrum such as Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine and The Levellers. But while his teenage years were soundtracked by distortion and rebellion, he found himself increasingly drawn to the intimacy of acoustic music, to the quiet honesty of a voice, a guitar and a story told without pretence.

For two decades, that impulse simmered in the background of a different life while he built a career in emergency nursing, working in the pressure of A&E wards and volunteering with the RNLI. The stories he carried from those years, moments of crisis and compassion would later bleed into his songwriting. It wasn’t until recently, encouraged by his partner, that he found the courage to step back into music, giving rise to 23 Fields.

Across their first two albums, 23 Fields established themselves as masters of subtlety, crafting songs that balance reflection and rhythm, bringing together themes of love, life and political awareness into warm, melodic textures. Step’s lyrics paint vivid portraits of everyday life, but they’re never heavy-handed; instead, they drift softly, like the echo of a conversation you wish hadn’t ended.

Now, with The Vacant Stars of Wandering Souls, their third full-length record, 23 Fields reach for something even more expansive while marking a development in both sound and spirit, introducing electric guitar and fuller production while retaining the tender storytelling at the heart of their work. Thematically, it’s a meditation on isolation, memory, and the fragile threads that connect us in uncertain times. It’s an album that doesn’t try to provide answers, but rather sits with the questions, the feeling of drifting, of searching for meaning in a world that seems to spin faster each day.

On opening track “Afrika Nitarudi,” Step sets aside his guitar entirely to frame his rich vocals in a new setting of pattering percussion and elegant piano notes. As his picture painting lyrics conjure transportive scenes, the arrangement builds with atmospheric textures and airy tones, floating with stunning trumpet leads and soulful vocalisations, resulting in a stunning musical moment that showcases the band’s incredible sonic range.

With “The Mary Standford (Eternal Father Strong To Save),” they pay touching tribute to the Mary Stanford lifeboat disaster, crafting a delicate alternative folk scene of moving vocal performance, rustling percussion and graceful string lines. “Where did we go so wrong?” flows with emotive instrumental lines and lilting rhythmic sway as Step’s tender voice floats above, casting a highly affecting listening experience that’s impossible not to be moved by.

Other highlights on the record include songs like “Trace Her Sun” with its warm key tones, breezy groove and hopeful tone, offering an utterly delightful moment on the album. Closing the LP with “With Your Stars,” the rattle of drums and pulse of bass is met with the strums of guitar, warm vocals and bright string leads to form a pop-tinged folk outing, offering a memorable and truly enjoyable finale to the band’s sensational third album.

Listen to The Vacant Stars Of Wandering Souls below