Graham Coxon’s Lost ‘Castle Park’ Album Finally Surfaces After 15 Years

Graham Coxon’s solo output has always run parallel to Blur’s main narrative, but the new album arriving next week pre-dates most of his recent work. Castle Park was recorded around 2011, then abandoned after Blur reactivated in 2012. Now, 15 years on, it’s getting a release through Transgressive.

The title refers to a park in Colchester, where Coxon spent formative teenage hours. He recalls climbing fences after hours, dancing around the bandstand while “slightly inebriated,” and repeatedly kissing the bronze Angel of Victory statue at the southern entrance. “I used to do it regularly — she was very beautiful,” he told The Sun.

The delay wasn’t strategic. “Maybe it was lack of confidence,” he said. “Maybe I thought these songs weren’t fashionable and who would give a sh*t?” Fans, however, got wind of the project and even knew the album’s name, helping nudge it toward the light.

Coxon’s influences have always been transparent. He positions Ray Davies as the best British songwriter, followed closely by Paul McCartney, with The Jam as a formative band. Those songwriting instincts — observational, melodic, rooted in English detail — run through his solo work, from early lo-fi records to this long-shelved set.

Alongside the Castle Park release, Coxon continues his partnership with Rose-Elinor Dougall as The Waeve, whose third album is already taking shape. He promises a lighter, “floaty and summery” direction compared to last year’s City Lights. UK solo dates follow in November.