The Belmont Estate – “Songbook of The Belmont Estate”

The Belmont Estate just came out with their debut album, Songbook of The Belmont Estate, and it is a really refreshing listen. Hailing from Oxford, England, this collective, made up of Chloe Stallone, Richard Brown, Tyler Ware, Betsy Sweeney, and Berry Brown, has put together a collection of songs that focuses entirely on normal, everyday British life.

Instead of writing about glamorous topics, they find inspiration in English housing estates. It is all about the regular people who make these places tick, like van drivers, administrative workers, and commuters wearing lanyards. The music captures people who are just filling out forms, struggling to build a life, and searching for love. It makes you want to look a bit closer at the world around you because there is so much meaning in these ordinary routines. “Folly” and “Stay” are my favorites.

Even though the songs feel incredibly personal, they have some serious production power helping them out. Steve Sedgwick, who has worked with Gorillaz, handled some of the mixing, along with Ali Chant from Yard Act and Callum Barter, who works with Courtney Barnett. That team gives the whole project a really polished, deep sound. It is a musical documentation of lives that most people recognize but rarely see celebrated. It feels like a real songbook for regular people.