A thirteenth chapter begins
David Gray Dear Life, Out January 17, 2025. The singer-songwriter returns with his thirteenth studio album and most personal work yet. A stripped-back reflection on love, loss, and everything in between.
Four years after his quietly resonant 2021 record Skellig, David Gray re-emerges with Dear Life — a body of work that feels less like a comeback and more like a confession. Set to release on January 17, 2025, the album weaves together themes of aging, grief, wonder, and personal renewal in Gray’s unmistakably grounded style. These are songs written from the inside out — soft-spoken but never lacking weight. |
Across fifteen new tracks, Gray balances his long-held folk instincts with a textured, contemporary sonic approach that doesn’t abandon the past but builds gently on top of it. If White Ladder introduced the world to his voice, Dear Life shows how that voice has aged, cracked, and found new edges in silence.
Born in Norfolk, made to bleed
This record wasn’t made in some polished LA studio or high-tech Berlin bunker. It was born in Norfolk, England — in a makeshift studio carved out of quiet countryside. It’s the kind of place where time slows down, and Gray leans into that slowness fully. Produced by Ben de Vries (whose credits include Lana Del Rey, Bon Iver, and his own ambient solo work), the sound is rich with space — echoes, textures, restraint.
There’s clarity, yes, but not the kind that screams. It hums, it breathes, it trusts you to sit with it. De Vries helps shape the album’s atmosphere without overtaking Gray’s vision. Together, they’ve crafted a sonic palette where acoustic and electronic elements coexist gently — neither dominating the other, always serving the emotion underneath.
The first taste: “Plus & Minus”
Already released, “Plus & Minus” offers a striking preview of what’s to come. The track is classic Gray — poetic and brooding — but it also pushes forward with subtle layering and ambient undertones. It’s a song that captures the tension between presence and memory, desire and detachment.
Gray sings with a knowing ache, never overreaching, always letting the weight of his words do the work. “Plus & Minus” plays like a foggy morning in mid-winter: quiet, reflective, somehow both heavy and light. It’s a song that doesn’t need to beg for attention. It just stands still and lets you come to it.
Tracklist for Dear Life
- After The Harvest
- Plus & Minus
- Eyes Made Rain
- Leave Taking
- I Saw Love
- Fighting Talk
- Sunlight On Water
- That Day Must Surely Come
- Singing For The Pharaoh
- The Messenger
- Acceptance (It’s Alright)
- Future Bride
- The Only Ones
- The First Stone
- More Than Anything
From meditative openers like “After The Harvest” to the shimmering closer “More Than Anything,” the tracklist is a journey in itself. “Eyes Made Rain” delivers emotional texture through slow-building arrangements. “Acceptance (It’s Alright)” feels like a thesis statement — a surrender, not in defeat, but in grace. “Fighting Talk” swings harder, giving the album a needed jolt midstream. Every track offers a different vantage point into Gray’s world — thoughtful, exposed, honest.
Past & Present World Tour
The stories don’t stop with the studio. Gray is taking Dear Life on the road with the Past & Present World Tour, beginning January 24, 2025, in Boston. The tour will span across North America and Europe, hitting major cities like New York, Toronto, Berlin, Paris, Dublin, and a monumental night at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Fans can expect a setlist that threads new material with key moments from his discography — from White Ladder to Skellig, each chapter gets its space.
It’s more than a concert — it’s a reflective, retrospective experience designed for real listening, not just nostalgia. Ticket links and details are available through David Gray’s official website, where fans can also sign up for early access and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Dear life, dear listener
What makes Dear Life stand apart isn’t just its sound — it’s the feeling underneath it. Gray isn’t trying to reclaim past glory. He’s not remaking Babylon or chasing the ghost of his former chart success. Instead, he’s doing something far rarer in today’s landscape: telling the truth of where he’s at. There’s a humility in this album that feels refreshing — not defeatist, but grounded. These aren’t songs written for streaming playlists.
They’re written for real people navigating real life, with all its quiet complications and unexpected beauty. The album title says it all. This is a letter to what’s fragile. A prayer whispered under breath. A love song to what we still have, even when it hurts to hold.
Where to listen and follow
The full album Dear Life drops January 17, 2025, with physical formats expected shortly after. For tour dates, merch, album bundles, and visual content, head over to David Gray’s official site and his YouTube channel, where you can also find recent live sessions and behind-the-scenes glimpses from the Norfolk studio.
For more upcoming tours with a similar energy, check out Netsky’s August 2025 shows or revisit The Ting Tings’ new release for another nostalgic-yet-modern perspective.
Final words on Dear Life
David Gray Dear Life, Out January 17, 2025 — a reflective, emotionally layered return from one of Britain’s most enduring voices. With fifteen songs soaked in honesty and atmosphere, this album doesn’t just mark another chapter in Gray’s career. It deepens the whole story. Whether you’ve followed him since White Ladder or you’re coming in fresh, Dear Life welcomes you in — softly, steadily, with open arms.
Watch the “Plus & Minus” music video
