Rebecca Downes - A Storm Is Coming (2025) [Hi-Res]

Birmingham (UK) based independent artist Rebecca Downes announces the release of A Storm Is Coming, her sixth studio album. A Storm Is Coming is a ten-track journey from tension to release, where blues-rock soul and alternative edge collide. Led by Rebecca's powerhouse female vocal, the album marries guitar punch, Hammond glow and chantable refrains that are built equally for radio (Falling Into You was play-listed by Planet Rock Radio) or a room full of raised voices. The anthemic title track and the high-velocity Never Gonna Take You Back deliver instant hooks, while Falling Into You flips red-flag doubt into a feel-good, romantic rush. Slow-burn ballads (These Days, Bitter Taste and Hit The Ground Running) lean towards the nocturnal and confessional, swelling into catharsis. Tear Me Up is a dark, blues rock confession where defiance becomes a mantra, Waiting For The Morning is a nocturnal, roots-rock ballad that turns midnight longing into a hopeful dawn and Let You Down Slow is a confident blues-rock send-off that trades drama for clarity. Throughout, the writing is centred on resilience, self-preservation and honest break-up; storms that clear the sky. For fans of Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, Dorothy, Grace Potter and Beth Hart, this is contemporary rock with classic heart: big choruses, a guitar and organ spine, and a through-line of defiant hope. Talking about the album Rebecca says: “The anticipation of the release of a new album creates a maelstrom of feelings. There's a huge sense of satisfaction in having completed all the work, but significant trepidation about how it will be received. I am first and foremost a song writer (who is lucky enough to have a wonderful co-songwriter). Writing songs, creating music and releasing original tracks is part of the fabric of what we are. Once again, the new music is very much the product of our creative process taking us where it went, rather than us trying to replicate a formula. And while there is definitely a lot of focus on relationships in the songs, the lyrics also have a wider resonance in these difficult times.” Steve Birkett continues: “The challenge is to be able to keep creating original music in an age where music is in the background, most people consume it via streaming and, as a consequence, revenue from music sales per se is limited.

We have followed a particular path with this album that we believe will be sustainable in the current environment, but the acid test will be in how it is received. So, the next few weeks will be dominated by nervous anticipation, but I believe this music has the scope to take us to a wider audience.” Rebecca adds: “We have been delighted by the response to the three singles we have released, and the new tracks that we have played live. Falling Into You being play-listed by Planet Rock Radio was exciting but also reassuring in the sense that it was a huge vote of confidence in our work. The album is a varied mix which I believe fits together really well as a collection, and while the tracks will be classified as predominately 'rock,' there are - as ever - lots of blues influences in there. There are elements of this album that I truly believe are our best work yet.”