After quietly building a reputation on stages across the northwest, Manchester-based alt-folk singer-songwriter Joe Kutryk emerges with his first official release ‘Rearranging’, a track born from solitude, sleepless nights, and the blurry emotional grey areas that come with loving from a distance.
‘Rearranging’ began in a fluorescent-lit booth of a 24-hour McDonald’s, scribbled down after an abrupt end to a graveyard shift. That origin story alone feels emblematic of what makes the track and Kutryk himself so compelling. There’s a working-class soulfulness here, a bruised vulnerability wrapped in poetic candour.
At its core, ‘Rearranging’ grapples with the complex ache of long-distance intimacy, and longing for closeness while juggling the guilt of wanting more. What starts as a seemingly straightforward ballad slowly evolves into something deeper, the lingering ache of “what could’ve been.” Kutryk’s lyricism dwells in discomfort with grace and quiet bravery.
The track is carefully layered without ever losing its intimacy. Kutryk’s voice is front and centre, weathered and delicate, while a rich blend of strings, keys, and subtle studio effects hover just beneath the surface. There’s a dreamlike quality to the soundscape- echoes, reverbs, and ghost notes that give the impression of memory being relived in real time.
The inclusion of violin and backing vocals from his wife Nadia adds both literal and emotional harmony to the song. Their shared musicality makes the track feel like a conversation; one full of affection, doubt, distance, and connection.
There’s something timeless about ‘Rearranging’. It calls to mind the confessional songwriting of artists, with the grit of someone who’s lived each lyric. For a debut, it’s remarkably assured and with a full album likely on the horizon, ‘Rearranging’ is a confident first step for an artist whose music is clearly built not on trends, but on truth.
