Some records arrive with a publicity campaign. Others turn up like a bottle someone’s been quietly ageing in the back room, then uncorked only when the timing feels right.
Brian Kraff’s Up from the Cellar is firmly the latter. Recorded outside Liverpool in autumn 2025 with producer Bill Ryder-Jones and engineer Nathaniel Laurence, the ten-song set feels handmade in the best sense: thoughtful without fussing, polished without sanding off the edges. It’s forward-looking and nostalgic at once. Fresh but familiar. There are shades of 90s grunge here and today’s best Americana sounds, threaded through with classic power-pop craftsmanship of and the kind of melodic instinct that knows exactly when to hang back and exactly when to hit.
The opening run lands immediately. “Mistakes” kicks the door open with real confidence: sharp guitars, bright hooks and the sort of melodic lift that makes you want to restart it before the album has even moved on. By track three, “Call It What You Want” confirms this is no lucky run. A genuine standout.
And what a standout.
The song pivots on a beautifully timed key change that recalls the restless melodic ambition of Tim Finn’s Persuasion era. “Find yourself at 3am in a horizontal dream / rain outside your window is not promising anything to me…” lands with that half-awake emotional clarity we’ve come to expect from the Antipodean Finn brothers: vulnerable but ever driving forward. Then Kraff throws in one of the album’s smartest sonic contrasts. The distortion of “a little time together…” suddenly gives way to that almost saccharine ba-da-dada, and the effect is delicious. Salty and sweet. Rough edges giving way to pure pop pleasure. Kraff says we can call it what we want. I’m calling it a serious bop.
“Goodnight” leans into alt-country in a way that feels warm and natural. “Carefree” carries a loose Wilco-ish charm with a little Randy Newman wit tucked into the corners. “Sunflower” lands right where it should, the perfect flip-the-record moment.
A few tracks later comes album standout, “Shine,” a sure hit but a cover of sorts. Written by Kraff, the song was originally performed by Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy during an all day session with Kraff – that demo version has been passed around by a small set of Wilco fans for some time. On Up from the Cellar it gets a bright new lease on life with Kraff on vocals. Where earlier songs hold tension and reflection, “Shine” starts moving decisively toward something lighter and more open. It arrives at exactly the right point in the record, when you’re ready for the groove. “Something good keeps spilling out today…” floats over that driving kick bass and suddenly feels less reflective than communal. It’s the rare song that sounds thoughtful and immediate at the same time. A song you could sit with alone or shout the chorus to in a crowd at a raucous party. This one is easy to love.
Its counterpart is the easy to miss on the first listen through, “Late to Later.” Don’t miss this one as it’s quietly one of the album’s most affecting turns.
Most nostalgia songs are paired with regret. They look backward at what slipped away or what should have happened sooner. Kraff does something rarer here. “Late to Later” is nostalgic and grateful at the same time, hopeful if still written in a minor key or drop-D or whatever one does to create a Chris Cornell vibe. It feels like looking back at a relationship that nearly never happened and feeling astonished that it did.
“You said later I would grow to understand that what we have is extraordinary / seems we’ve gone from late to later / I was someone else now I found myself / can I repay the debt of my shallow breath?”
It’s beautiful writing: tender, reflective, quietly earned. If Billy Joel’s “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” gave Brenda and Eddie the happy ending and let them age into something steadier and deeper, it might land somewhere near here. The melody carries a wistful pull, but the feeling underneath isn’t regret. It’s gratitude. The rare kind of song that sounds nostalgic for the life you almost missed and deeply thankful you didn’t.
“Every Drop” deserves a mention too as it reaches somewhere deeper. The image of the last bottle and the last drop slowly becomes something bigger: fear, love, mortality and what it means to imagine losing the person beside you and still having to keep breathing anyway.
It has a little of what “Beth” did on Kiss’s Destroyer: the unlikely emotional centrepiece on an album full of stronger outward statements. The track no one expects to hit hardest, then does. It’s a quiet, tender and genuine gut punch. The sort of song that pierces the fourth wall and earns every emotional beat.
What makes Up from the Cellar so satisfying is how complete it feels as an album. The sequencing matters and you can hear how thoughtfully the sequence was picked. If I have one complaint about the track order it would be tracks 6 and 7 which, if reversed, would pack a slightly more emotional second act. The streaming era may pretend track order is irrelevant in our short-attention span world. This record argues the opposite. Each turn feels intentional. The emotional pivots feel earned. By the time the title track refrain closes things out, you’ve actually been somewhere.
And that’s the trick of Up from the Cellar. It feels fresh and familiar. A little nostalgic. A little bruised. Full of hooks and beautiful guitar lines and lyrics that linger long after the record ends.
A cellar, yes.
But one with the lights on, the bottle open and plenty worth staying for.
Angela Kingdon
September 15 2026
A Conversation with the Elusive Songwriter on His Debut Album
The Rubin Report: Brian, for years your music seemed to circulate like whispers in a room — home demos, rare live appearances, “I’ll get to it when I have the time”. Why now? What made you decide to finally release Up from the Cellar?
Brian Kraff: It was just finally time. I’ve spent so much of my creative life in basement studios, tinkering with songs for myself, trying them out with various bands, but never thinking about releasing them through traditional channels. I’ve been really contented to just be me — my own pace, on my own musical journey. Anyone who knows me knows that it has never been about being ‘known’ or wanting approval. This album is about me coming up from that basement — literally and metaphorically — and finally letting the songs breathe in open air. There’s a sense of both accomplishment and gratitude in this process, especially working with Bill Ryder-Jones. He understood where I wanted to go and helped shape the album into something I’m proud to share.
TRR: Bill Ryder-Jones produced the album. What was it like collaborating with him — and what did he bring to the project?
Brian Kraff: Bill is not just a brilliant producer and musician; he’s a beautiful human being. His instinct was invaluable. He listened to the demos and, within seconds, saw what the songs needed. He protected me from my own overwriting. He made sure the music stayed true to who I am, even as we pushed to refine the sound. The chemistry was natural, and I think listeners will hear that.
TRR: Up from the Cellar has a power-pop punch, although I can feel your temptation to be lo-fi. But there are echoes of classic songcraft — somewhere between Randy Newman’s wordsmithing and Nick Lowe’s eye-winking. How do you feel about those comparisons?
Brian Kraff: I appreciate the nods, which were certainly created by an aggressive publicist, but I shy away from suggesting my music is even close to worthy of those comparisons. Because it is not. But each song on this album pairs up with styles I enjoy — and at the end of the day, I’m lucky to simply write for myself. I’m not aiming for any specific audience, which lets me keep the authenticity intact. Most of my songs are a fusion of multiple stories, rarely literal, even if they seem autobiographical.
TRR: The lead single “Mistakes” drops in May. Can you tell us about the track, and its origins?
Brian Kraff: “Mistakes” really came together during pre-production at Blue Room Productions. Conrad Osipowicz, who engineered the vocals and drums, asked me about drumming on the track, and it ended up being an extraordinary collaboration. It was as if we’d played together for years. So, he ended up doing the whole album. You can feel that vibe in the recordings. “Mistakes” is a journey — an event that never actually happened but describes a feeling of excitement and regret that most people can resonate with.
TRR: You’ve penned hundreds of songs — why did you pick these tracks for your debut?
Brian Kraff: Picking the songs was probably the hardest part. I wanted tracks that represent the range of my influences, but also those I think pair well together. There’s a sense of overdue arrival here — for both me and the listeners who’ve followed me over the years. So, I leveled up a few of my favorites and then paired them with new songs from the last year. I tried to start the album at power pop, drift toward jangle pop, move toward alt-country and then get quiet, before rocking our way out at the end of the record.
TRR: For those who know you, what will surprise them about Up from the Cellar?
Brian Kraff: I think they’ll finally hear these songs the way they were meant to be heard. The production, the collaborations, the energy — it’s all there, but it feels more personal than before. I hope it feels both familiar and new.
TRR: What was the most difficult about the recording process?
Brian Kraff: The writing and recording process is so much harder than it seems. There’s just infinite opportunity to second guess. I was relieved that the Billy Joel documentary came out right as I finished this effort. He talks about how excruciating and lonely it feels when you’re trying to make something sound the way you want it represented.
TRR: What was the most gratifying about the recording process?
Brian Kraff: Every time there’s a breakthrough in the studio you feel it immediately — everyone looks at each other knowingly. It’s really cool. My favorite thing? Of the nine songs, Nathaniel Laurence (Yawn UK engineer who mixed the record) couldn’t decide between his two favorite songs. Bill favored a different one. And Conrad had yet a different favorite. And my favorite was different from theirs! So that has to mean something, right?
Up from the Cellar is out May 2026. Lead single “Mistakes” drops early May on all major streaming services. For advance listening or press inquiries, visit BrianKraff.com.
Barry Rubin is a New Orleans-based musicologist on a quest to attend and review 1,000 live shows. His newest venture is The Rubin Report, a set of interviews with indie artists in New Orleans and New York City.
New album out May 2026
NEW YORK, NY — Brian Kraff will release his new solo album, Up from the Cellar, in May 2026. Produced by Bill Ryder-Jones and recorded at Yawn Studios in the UK with engineer Nathaniel Laurence, the album marks the first time portions of Kraff’s extensive catalog will be released through traditional channels.
Lead single: “Mistakes” — out in early May (available on all major streaming services).
Some say his music might not exist at all. But those who’ve heard the songs — and caught the rare appearances over the years — know different. With more than 300 songs written over four decades, Kraff’s arrival with Up from the Cellar is long overdue.
Kraff explains, “Up from the Cellar is me coming up from the basement-studio environment into the open air.” He continues, “The timing was right. I am so grateful to Bill for his insight and talent — he understood exactly where I wanted to go… He’s not only a brilliant producer and musician; he is also a beautiful human being.”
Producer Bill Ryder-Jones says, “Within 10 seconds of hearing demos for this album, I knew I wanted to work with him. You can tell this music is uniquely Brian, regardless of the influences he openly reflects — the wisdom of a 60-year-old with the drive of a 30-year-old, and the curiosity of a 20-year-old mind. What more could you ask for from an unknown artist?”
Production: Produced by Bill Ryder-Jones. Pre-production, vocals, and drums were recorded at Blue Room Productions by Conrad Osipowicz, before the album sessions at Yawn Studios in the UK with engineer Nathaniel Laurence.
Sound: Power-pop punch with classic songcraft — think unpolished Marshall Crenshaw performed with singer-songwriter Graham Parker’s lack of self-importance (see This is 40). “I’m not sure that any of those are fair, and I’d prefer to shy away from the suggestion that my music is worthy of any such comparisons — it is not,” says Kraff. “Let’s face it, those are the words of an aggressive publicist. I simply put a handful of songs on this album that each pair up nicely with styles that I enjoy.”
Kraff says, “I am lucky to have the luxury of writing for myself, rather than for a specific audience. It is the best way to write a song with an authenticity that is worth listening to… That said, most of my songs are a fusion of multiple stories, so they are not literal, even if they sound autobiographical.” He appears occasionally as a utility guitarist and vocalist with NYC outfit Same Day Service.
Conrad Osipowicz adds, “During pre-production at Blue Room Productions, we recorded the demo for ‘Mistakes,’ and it had a vibe. I told Brian, ‘I’d love to do the drums for that track’ — and I ended up on the whole album. It was such a natural collaboration; you can feel it in the recordings.”
Brian Kraff is a songwriter and performer whose work has circulated for years largely through demos, occasional live performances, and word-of-mouth. Up from the Cellar (out May 2026) is his first wide-release solo album.
For more information, advance listening, press photos, or interview requests, please contact RRDI Music Publishing via BrianKraff.com.