Acclaimed Manchester-based singer-songwriter Minute Taker (aka Ben McGarvey) is set to release AFTER THE RAIN.

This new single is a quirky, summery, pride anthem – a taster of his eagerly anticipated, forthcoming album, Wolf Hours. 

Minute Taker is a new discovery for me. As a lover of 80s synth pop myself, it is a joy to come upon an artist that shares the same appreciation for this era. He also has an affection for some of the finest female vocalists in the music business.

Critics have described Minute Taker as “a craftsman of haunting melodies”. It is easy to see why, judging by his own compositions and the nostalgia-fuelled covers that he clearly relishes in putting his own stamp on.

Head to Ben’s YouTube channel to check out his piano rendition of Tori Amos’s Little Earthquakes track, ‘Leather’. There is also an exquisite rework of Kate Bush’s Hounds Of Love hit, ‘Running Up That Hill’. These are genuine goosebump moments.

How exciting, then, to see LGBTQ+ icon BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT (aka Rod Thomas) – who recently guested on Flick Flop – has teamed up with Minute Taker for an idiosyncratic new, summer collaboration between two gay musicians about the journey of the LGBTQ+ community over time, combining passions brightly to overcome prejudice and adversity. 

Minute Taker reveals the dual meaning of the self-penned song: 

“On the one hand, it’s about the ups and downs of a really tempestuous relationship: the kind that can be like ecstasy and pure magic at times and at other times, tearing each other apart.

“On a different level, it’s about the journey of the LGBTQ+ community over recent history, ‘fearless cosmic angels, burning bright’ in the face of prejudice, weathering whatever adversity comes our way. ” 

We are thrilled to host the exclusive first-play of Minute Taker’s new single, AFTER THE RAIN. Listen to the track below.

⚪️ After The Rain is released as a single on Aug 6th – pre-order here. The album WOLF HOURS follows in November | More