I have to be honest – I’d never seen the label “story-songwriter” before I discovered Steve Haley’s music. An artist who usually writes through characters and fictional narratives, he has never felt entirely comfortable sharing songs about his personal life. At one point, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to record more songs at all.
Luckily for us, he decided to carry on, and his new album ‘Secret Knock’ features songs written over the past decade (and more!). Songs that have never been recorded or shared – until now. A document of creative community collaboration, the album features a rich cast and an ensemble of instruments, including accordion, lap steel guitar, harmonium, mandolin, autoharp, stylophone, cello, synths, and dobro – among others!
Steve has been haunted by these stories. Reflections on mortality, anxiety, religion, and the mundanity of domestic living – this album is Steve letting it spill and letting you in. He is giving you the secret knock.
‘Secret Knock’ – The first track starts slow, easing us into the album. The warm, drifting melody is so delicate – it feels like it might break at any moment – but that’s what makes it beautiful. Steve writes, “The song is a ghost story about a person being haunted by their love. Over time, this song came to represent how haunted I was by all the unreleased songs sitting in my head that I was too afraid to share”.
‘Lettin’ It Spill’ – An increase in tempo, and a fragile, folk-flavoured vocal. Some beautifully effective guitar work too – the tremolo guitar, and notes that are stretched into slow-moving currents and silken threads. It’s a soulful, country-tinged track that sways with an easy confidence. I loved this one.
‘For The Stars’ – This song really seems to invite you in – to participate. I reckon this one would be great in a live environment – I found myself wanting to sing along as that melody developed in a really satisfying way:
I’ve been thinking and we need a lot
I’ve been dreaming yeah we need a lot
I’ve been screaming that I want it all
‘I dreamed you’ – The newest song on the album, this track is about a romance that took place with an imagined mistress within a vivid dream. It’s such a personal tale – it must have been quite a tricky one to write. I highly recommend that you check out the full lyrics to this track (and all the others on the album) here. A song with a calm, hypnotic quality, like a dream. There is a nice moment halfway through when the organ is stripped away, and the song comes into sharp focus.
‘Hard To Put A Finger On’ – A simple arrangement – just guitar, vocal and harmonica – it gives this track a very traditional, folksy feel. There’s a cool lo-fi sound, with occasional noises in the background. There are some disturbing moments in the lyrics, too:
When I was child couldn’t sleep in my own bed
For fear of the forces that would get me
If I didn’t act just as you wanted
‘Dark Soul’ – A crystal clear vocal tone softened slightly by some smooth reverb, and a really pretty melody. The layers build and add flesh to another deeply personal, slightly sombre lyrical tale:
“I’ve been spending all my nights with a dark soul
I’ve been throwing all my time into a black hole
I don’t really know what I do it for”
There is an optimistic bounce and flow to this track though, and a couple of cool easter eggs – a subtle interpolation of an Elton John classic, and a ‘hidden’ sound a few seconds after the fade out – an otherworldly, almost ghostly crescendo that comes and goes before the next track starts.
‘When I Die’ – Textures are flipped again, and we’re back to a raw, home-made sound. Heartwarming reflections on life told in a really down-to-earth, relatable way. When I read the lyrics to this one, it brought a tear to my eye!
‘Pop’s Dream’ – The vocal, with its longer reverb, feels like a voice calling out from the distant haze. There’s an innocent fragility to the vocal – cleverly childlike in its delivery to fit in with the lyrical content. At under 2 minutes, it’s fleetingly effective, but feels like it could have said a bit more.
‘Burned Bright’ – A banjo starts the track and adds a rich twang; the subtle cello adds warmth. This sounds like a group of old friends sitting around the crackling campfire, locked into a shared, spellbinding rhythm.
‘Driftwood’ – I loved the range in the melody here – it gets way down there! The bass sounds great too – a warm plucked sound. The sparse beat tapped out on a snappy rim shot and tambourine. A haunting backing vocal follows along like a ghost, adding brightness. I thought the harmonica slotted into the track perfectly here (as it does throughout the album) – it felt really organic, never out of place or intrusive.
‘When It All Ends’ – A fitting final track, this slows things down, bringing us back down to earth with its halting rhythm. There’s a lot of space in the mix and some wonderfully unexpected sounds. A ghostly stylophone sound flutters and wobbles in the background. It gives the track a really unique flavour. There are more vivid lyrics, too, conjuring up images like snapshots from a family album:
You got out for an hour but the meteor shower
Scared you back into comforts of home
Oh what a sight on Saturday night
When you fell into the rabbit hole
These are heartfelt stories presented in a really honest and open way. I felt like I was actually getting to know the artist. There is often a sadness in those melodies. Still, it’s never clawing or saccharine – it all feels genuine, so the emotional weight they carry feels so much more intense.
Here are songs that have a clear folk-country sensibility, but don’t feel bound or constrained by genre. They achieve something much wider and deeper. The music displays timeless craftsmanship, a true creative edge, and a rare personal warmth.
‘Secret Knock’ is full of deeply hidden tales that feel like they were stitched together from long-forgotten notebooks and faded photographs.
Steve said he has been haunted by these stories – with ‘Secret Knock’, I think he has, at last, exorcised those demons.
Written by Grubby
