Flowers at the Scene emerged from a period of renewed creativity following the completion of Lost in the Ghost Light. While working with Brian Hulse on material for our band Plenty, I found myself writing a series of new songs that didn’t quite fit that project’s 1980s aesthetic. These pieces felt more direct and diverse, prompting me to move in a more song-oriented direction. One of the unique aspects of this album is the production credit: “Produced by No-Man and Brian Hulse.” Steven Wilson and I decided to resurrect an old 1990s idea of using the No-Man production team to bring the band’s specific DNA into my solo work, with Steven providing a powerful mix that notably altered and enhanced several of the arrangements.

Thematically, the songs act as standalone vignettes—ranging from the kitchen-sink drama of the title track, which expands a brief newspaper snippet about a fatal stabbing into a poignant family portrait, to the hospital-set reflections of “I Go Deeper.” The sessions were a joy to coordinate, allowing me to collaborate with some of my musical heroes. Having Kevin Godley and Andy Partridge share space on “What Lies Here,” and Peter Hammill contributing to “It’s the World” and “Killing to Survive,” felt like a culmination of many of my lifelong influences. With a rhythm section anchored by Colin Edwin and Tom Atherton, and guest spots from the likes of Dylan Howe and Ian Dixon, Flowers at the Scene is perhaps my most stylistically varied and collaborative solo statement to date.