March 20, 2025: Lakeway will release his debut album I’ve Missed The Sun.
A unique frenzy of instrumental grime, neo rave, jungle drum & bass, UK funky and all kinds of vibrant, uncategorizable shapes and sizes in between, I’ve Missed The Sun is a beguiling experience that captures the exciting contemporary free-for-all of UK electronic music right now AND a very precise chapter in the life of one of dance music’s most enigmatic characters. A chapter that takes root over six years ago.
“I originally started the project for Med School, which unfortunately shut down in 2019,” explains Lakeway, AKA Liam Ralph. “Not long after that, we were hit with a lockdown. Ironically enough, a lot of it was written during a heatwave, but a heatwave where you are stuck inside. I think the album is a good summary of that time, of not just being stuck inside with a longing to escape, but also a rebuilding of self confidence and a summary of the story so far.”
Just this context alone makes I’ve Missed The Sun an unusual and intriguing concept that’s unlike almost every other debut album ever made. While most artists toil over their debut LP for years and rush to release it in real time before their inner critic and inner perfectionist wants to go back in on it, Liam wrote his from a place of healing then actively decided to sit on it and wait. In fact he even deleted the project files so he couldn’t re-do any elements of it. Like a fine wine maturing, the wait has paid off.
“I think it was something that I worked on for so long that for a long time I was absolutely sick of it. To the point where I deleted the project files to refrain from making any further changes,” he explains. “The good part about having a long break from it was going back with a clean pair of ears. Suddenly all that boredom with the project disappeared, and now I love it again! I think having a break was key in helping rekindle confidence in the project, and confidence is the most important thing.”
The confidence can be felt here at 1 More Thing too. Having heard various iterations of it over the years, and even teasing some of the tracks it in this 1 More Mix edition Liam did for us back in December 2022, we are super proud to be the platform putting I’ve Missed The Sun out into the world. Not only have we been big fans of Lakeway since he first emerged 10 years ago on Diffrent and its sub-label Sweetbox, but musically this album represents everything we want to see more of in the world: it’s lively, unpredictable, unusual and heavily loaded with emotion. It will melt dancefloors to pieces but sounds just as lush in your earbuds, your car or at home. It is unapologetic in its character, story and vibe.
“I like to think of it as the natural progression of my music so far,” Lakeway considers. “An accumulation of the styles I have explored previously, pushed further and into a more whole, realised project. In many ways I see it as somewhat of a benchmark. The best take away in my opinion would be a summary of the Lakeway sound so far. Or, like any form of media, whatever the listener gets out of it on a personal level. Who am I to say what that might be?”
On March 20 everyone will get to experience it on a personal level. For now we have the announcement teaser and artwork by provocative street artist Merny. We can also confirm that a single will drop every week from February 20 until the release which is the first official day of spring.
Today’s announcement is also in-tune with the influence of the sun… The third Monday of January is known as Blue Monday and in recent times has been regarded as one of the most statistically bluest days of the year considering factors such as weather, post Christmas blues, traditional end-of-month pay day still being days away and general low motivation levels.
We totally feel that. And if we weren’t announcing I’ve Missed The Sun we’d probably be feeling those factors right now. Liam can relate, too. “I think it’s important to remember that without the darkness, the light is meaningless,” he smiles. “If everything was all happy sunshine all of the time, things would get incredibly boring. The good would be pointless without the bad. But it’s important to remember that however blue things may feel, it’s always worth waiting to see what’s around the corner.”
And now we know what’s round the corner: Lakeway’s debut album I’ve Missed The Sun. Out March 20 on 1 More Thing… And we’ll be launching it with a sick release party at Planet Wax on March 21. We have a lot of updates and beats to share with you in the meantime.
Stay tuned and follow Lakeway for more updates: Facebook / Instagram / Soundcloud