ELLIOT COX - We Are the Seasons Changing (2025) Hi-Res

It’s likely that Elliot Cox didn’t consciously write these songs as celebrations. They aren’t anthems that would fill a stadium with people singing along. Instead, they are heartfelt celebrations of innocence, the exhilaration of change, the courage of youth and the optimism of love, as well as the changing seasons of both nature and the heart.

Cox was born in Gloucestershire, England, raised in Brisbane, Australia, and now splits his time between the latter and London. After receiving his degree in Music Technology, he took his songs on the road, or more accurately, to the streets as he busked across the UK and Europe. The intimacy of singing to small groups of strangers may explain why Cox’s songs are so personal. They seem to come directly from his experiences as he spreads his wings and opens his heart while travelling to explore both the exterior and interior worlds.

The album opens with ‘Joe’s Bar’, the story of a night out at an old favourite bar. It celebrates love with lines like, “I turn red when I’m in love, You smile when you see my natural blush,” and reflects on the past and future with, “I can’t believe what we’ve done and what’s next.” It captures that age when one has memories to look back on while still having a whole life ahead.

Cox continues with story songs about relationships. ‘Night Shift’ is a well-crafted portrait of a couple sharing moments in between their differing work times. In ‘Apart’, he sings of loss and sorrow. ‘The Time Machine’ reflects on a lingering love that may be rekindled, hesitating to return to what once was. ‘Think Twice’ explores the hesitation underlying most relationships and the search for certainty: “If we do it again, then we do it right, and we say forever.” Through the pain, indecision, and regret, there’s a sense of celebrating the sheer joy of truly engaging with another person. It’s the enchanting tension that often inspires good love songs. They acknowledge the pain of a breakup while it is still sharp and hasn’t been dulled by repetition.

The rest of the songs on ‘We Are The Seasons Changing’ mostly celebrate moving on, with a nod to the changing seasons and nature’s reviving gifts. ‘Roundabout’ is a song about knowing when it’s time to hit the road: “I sit here thinking about how far I’ve come by staying put/Now it’s time to move on.” ‘Plane’ captures the excitement tempered by a frisson of fear that comes when one is leaving home, “You don’t know why/But you know you know/Some kind of voice is telling you to go/And finally, finally catch that plane.” ‘Just Keep on Walking’ encapsulates the need to follow one’s heart, disregarding the naysayers, “Just keep on walking/And don’t look back, just keep on walking, you’ll find yourself, I’m sure of that.” These are songs to listen to when you want to experience the exhilaration of someone’s life taking off.

Cox’s voice is clear, and he’s written words and music that complement it. His guitar playing is solid and a good accompaniment to his voice. The arrangements are spare but more enhanced than the videos of Cox busking; one almost hopes that his next album will be live, as his songs are so personal that one doesn’t want the production effects to overshadow them.

These are the songs of a young songwriter who is willing to share his life with all the energy, optimism, and expectation of youth, along with an honest expression of the pain that comes from change and learning something’s value from its loss. It is a great first effort that suggests even better things to come.