First Listen: Bill Ryder-Jones, ‘West Kirby County Primary’

Bill Ryder-Jones' new album, <em>West Kirby County Primary</em>, is out now. (Rachel King/Courtesy of the artist)
Bill Ryder-Jones’ new album, West Kirby County Primary, is out now. (Rachel King/Courtesy of the artist)

I’m surprised Bill Ryder-Jones has not been on my radar at all until now, but it’s been excellent delving into his old music with the 1990s\2000s U.K. band The Coral, and now his solo work. This new record, West Kirby County Primary, is gorgeous and mellow but is also a colossal bummer, with songs about depression and mental illness and crumbling relationships. Check out what I wrote about the record as part of NPR Music’s First Listen series.