Spotlight Release Review | Joe Kutryk – Rearranging: Warm, late-night indie-folk soaked in longing and streetlamp glow.
England, Manchester
There’s a certain magic in songs born at strange hours – the half-silent moments when the world is paused and something personal slips into the air. That’s exactly where Joe Kutryk’s ‘Rearranging’ begins: not in a polished studio or daylight writing session, but at a 24-hour McDonald’s in the middle of a Mancunian night, after a short-lived Amazon shift and a pocketed pair of headphones.
A single that doesn’t overreach but instead sits exactly where it should, ‘Rearranging’ is a low-lit slice of alt-folk that finds its footing in longing. Kutryk sings not just about love, but the selfish ache that comes with wanting someone nearer, knowing they can’t be. That tangle of emotion gives the track its emotional weight, elevated further by string flourishes and hushed piano that melt gently into producer Johnny Woodhead’s atmospheric touches – subtle echoes, delay throws, a few ghosts in the mix.
What’s special here is how controlled it all feels. Kutryk doesn’t try to bowl you over with a grand crescendo or chart-ready chorus. Instead, it’s the restraint that wins you – the careful space between chords, the way his voice catches on a line, the honesty threaded through every word. It feels like a tune played with the lights off, the kind you return to after a too-long day.
Working alongside his wife Nadia (on violin and backing vocals), Kutryk has sketched something that lingers – not flashy, but deeply felt. For fans of Laura Marling, Bear’s Den or Ethan Gruska, this is a promising first step from a new voice in British folk. Whether you’re in a long-distance stretch or just missing someone you can’t quite reach, ‘Rearranging’ will sit with you in the silence.
