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Graham Coxon’s Castle Park album inspired by Colchester

Posted on by Ben Howard

A previously unheard solo album by Blur guitarist Graham Coxon – named after Colchester’s Castle Park – will finally be released this summer.

Castle Park, a ten-track record originally recorded in 2011, arrives on 19th June via Transgressive Records. The album was produced by Ben Hillier, who also worked with Blur on Think Tank, and was originally intended to follow Coxon’s 2012 solo album A+E.

However, when Blur returned to activity in 2012, the project was quietly shelved, and the album remained unheard.

Now, more than a decade later, those recordings are finally being released.

Coxon had previously hinted at the album’s existence during an interview with Clash magazine in 2020.

“There’s also the other album that I recorded at the same time as A+E. I’d like to get that out at some point because it’s a nice little record,” he said at the time.

“I’ve always called it Castle Park. It’s not like A+E – it’s a bit more of an old school indie / 60s sound, but there’s some lovely stuff on it. I’ve played quite a lot of it live at shows, but studio recordings have never been heard yet, so at some point I’d like to get that out. But it’s getting on now! It’s getting on!

The first taste of the record comes with Billy Says, a track many fans may already recognise from Coxon’s live sets. The song carries a classic British guitar-pop feel, echoing the Mod-influenced sound of bands like The Kinks while showcasing Coxon’s unmistakable knack for melodic guitar hooks.

Alongside the release of Castle Park, Coxon is also launching a year-long reissue campaign covering his entire solo catalogue. The first wave lands on the same day as the new album, with his 1998 debut, The Sky Is Too High, and 2000 follow-up, The Golden D, both returning on vinyl and CD.

Coxon will also return to the stage later this year with a special full-band show at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London on 28th November, marking his first full-band performance in over a decade.

Castle Park tracklist

  1. Billy Says
  2. Alright
  3. When You Find Out
  4. Isn’t It Funny
  5. There’s a Little House
  6. Easy
  7. Dripping Soul
  8. Forget Today
  9. Mélodie Pour Christine
  10. All The Rage

Formats and merch

Fans will also be able to pick up official Castle Park merchandise alongside the release, including:

There’s no news yet of a Colchester show – but with an album named after Castle Park, it would feel only fitting. Maybe it’s time for us all to start manifesting that one.