Lucy Kitchen, the Hampshire-based folk singer-songwriter, has released her new album In The Low Light following the death of her husband Stephen from stage four cancer in October 2022.
The album is deeply personal, capturing the process of grief, memory, and gradual healing, while also reflecting her rediscovery of joy and creative energy.
Kitchen began writing much of the album as tiny poems, short lines she created while caring for Stephen and coping with the emotional weight of his illness.
These fragments became the foundation for songs including Blue Light, In My Corner, and Chemo Song. Writing was a way to hold onto her thoughts and feelings, giving her an outlet when songwriting otherwise felt impossible.
Musically the album blends delicate folk arrangements with fuller band sections. Some tracks feature sparse instrumentation, including Kitchen’s flute, while others build to a more expansive, emotional release.
One standout track, The Boatman, closes with a recording of birds that Stephen made near their home. Including his contribution made the album feel like a shared creation, keeping him present in sound as well as memory.
Although In The Low Light reflects a period of immense loss, Kitchen has emphasized that the songs also carry hope, gratitude, and a sense of moving forward.
Tracks such as In My Corner serve as reminders of the encouragement her husband gave her throughout their life together, and Red Skies provides lighter moments that balance the heavier themes of grief.
Creating and recording the album gave Kitchen a renewed sense of focus and energy, helping her reconnect with her creative self after a period when songcraft had been difficult.
Performing the songs live has been an emotional experience. Some, like Chemo Song and The Ways We Were, require the right setting and audience, but many have taken on their own life when shared with listeners.
Kitchen has noted that performing the album allows the songs to resonate beyond her personal experience, creating a connection with audiences who may relate to loss or find solace in the music.
Music was a central part of Kitchen’s life with Stephen. He was a pianist who composed improvised jazz-influenced pieces, and the couple met through local music gigs, eventually sharing 22 years together.
Their shared love of music and creativity is reflected throughout the album, from the bird recording he made to the ways in which their life experiences shaped the themes of love, memory, and resilience.
The album’s songs tell stories of both sorrow and perseverance. In Blue Light, Kitchen reflects on moments when Stephen was hospitalized, capturing the uncertainty of those nights and the enduring presence of love despite illness.
In The Boatman, she uses imagery drawn from Greek mythology to explore the passage of life and death, while songs like Winter King and In My Corner convey the persistence of hope and the search for meaning after loss.
In The Low Light is more than a record of grief. It is a reflection on the power of love and memory, and a demonstration of how creative work can provide healing and direction.
Kitchen has described the process of completing the album as transformational, allowing her to process intense emotions while honoring her husband’s life. The album also demonstrates that grief is not linear, and that even in the shadow of loss, there can be moments of joy, laughter, and rediscovery.
Through In The Low Light, Lucy Kitchen offers listeners a deeply personal and honest view of life after losing a loved one. The album stands as a testament to the enduring power of love, the healing potential of music, and the resilience required to carry forward while remembering what has been lost.
It is a record that holds both sorrow and hope in its music and lyrics, showing that even in the midst of grief, there is room for growth, connection, and renewed creativity.
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