Whilst we share music from all over the world at York Calling, it’s always good to be able to showcase more local artists. One such musician is Sheffield-born composer Christopher Hawkins, who has become quite a popular fixture within the classical music scene in England. His new album, Where The World Can’t Find You, shows exactly why Christopher’s music has become so lauded – you can also find out more about Christopher in our recent interview.

By Jane Howkins

There are ten songs on Where The World Can’t Find You, and whilst they mostly lean into the classical genre, there are also moments of jazz and ambient music present here. This is more apparent on second song Drink, which uses a jazzy piano melody and a simple drum beat to provide a real sense of warmth and positive reflection.

However, to me, it’s the classical side of Christopher’s music that really stands out, with opener Dancing with a Shadow having a real subtle beauty to it. It consists largely of just a pretty piano melody, meandering away in a haunting manner, establishing the larger tone and atmosphere of the record well. The gorgeous Human Angels is another piano-led classical piece of music, although towards the end, a slow drum beat is introduced. It’s a lovely piece of music but I would actually prefer it without the drums, personally.

Next up we have Meltdown – like the previous tune, it starts out slowly with a thought-provoking piano melody that will get underneath your skin in no time. A beautiful string section appears later on, rising up to create a haunting crescendo of sounds, perhaps mimicking a person having a meltdown in real time. Sparkle is one of my favourite pieces on Where The World Can’t Find You, as it’s truly gorgeous to behold – the main piano motifs are really addictive. Sparkle is definitely a must listen song for me.

We then move onto New Day, featuring an expansive piano melody that changes the tone of the record somewhat, sounding almost bittersweet at times. It’s pretty cinematic sounding – something which Christopher has been trying to incorporate into his songs, making for a resounding success. The title track, Where The World Can’t Find You, is up next, taking things in a slightly different direction. Musically, the piano is still the main focal point of the song,but it has a much darker and more mysterious vibe to it, all the same. Some lovely guitar melodies even emerge later on in the track, following the pretty piano in perfect fashion.

Night Forest is perfectly titled, as the gorgeous piano intro really does seem like the perfect soundtrack for wandering through a dark forest at night. It’s extremely atmospheric though, with some haunting vocal lines appearing towards the end, drawing you in like a siren song. Waiting for Sunrise is another slow burner of a track, although that’s certainly not a bad thing by any means! The minimalist vibes build up slowly as the piece progresses, before dropping away again as the music comes to a satisfying end.

Finally, we have our final song in the form of Home. It’s the perfect ending track to an album like Where The World Can’t Find You, bringing a palpable sense of resolution to the album as a whole. I think it’s perfectly fair to say that Christopher Hawkins has produced a real being of majesty within Where The World Can’t Find You, creating an immersive experience to ponder upon over time. Whilst there are plenty of stand-out songs, it’s the sort of album that deserves to be listened to in full, which you can do below.

Social media: Website, X, Spotify, Instagram