Chris Tye is a singer-songwriter from Birmingham, England. He records acoustic-based songs rooted in personal experience and in the city where he grows up, with recurring themes of home, change, belonging and self-reflection.

Early life and influences

Tye grows up in Birmingham and learns guitar as a child on an old acoustic instrument found under his parents’ bed. His father teaches him early Led Zeppelin riffs, and he practices by putting a microphone in front of the guitar’s sound hole so the instrument can be heard through the stereo. Later, a loaned copy of John Martyn’s Solid Air becomes a major influence, leading him towards the songwriting styles of Nick Drake, Richie Havens and Bob Dylan. He also listens to Van Morrison while writing some of his material, and names Ryan Adams’ Gold among the records that informs his sound.

Songwriting and style

Tye’s songs are described through careful, intimate writing and a restrained delivery. He presents himself as both shy and confident, and his writing often focuses on emotional change, leaving home and trying to find a way forward. He is also drawn to detailed everyday imagery, including references to Birmingham nightlife and to the places and routines that shape his life.

He is an early riser and says he sees things more clearly in the morning. He also spends time searching for obscure Ed Harcourt bootlegs and admires Californian singer-songwriter Ferraby Lionheart.

Somewhere Down The Line

His debut album, Somewhere Down The Line, contains eight tracks and includes songs such as “Come Undone”, “Joanne”, “Electric Tracks”, “Like Wild Fire”, “Beautiful Morning” and “Sidesteps”. The record is strongly associated with Birmingham, which appears throughout the lyrics and the recording process.

“Joanne”, an ode to first love, is one of the first songs he writes. It deals with a breakup with a girlfriend called Joanne and is recorded many times before the version on the album is cut live in a dark room lit by a dim red bulb, with plenty of red wine late at night.

“Come Undone” is recorded with guitar and vocal live, then overdubbed later with viola and cello. Tye describes it as a song about reaching the point where change becomes necessary, in this case by going home. “Electric Tracks” refers to drifting through a mirrored hallway at Birmingham nightclub Snobs, and also to a more reflective state of mind. He adds banjo to the end of the track and says he is listening to Ryan Adams’ Gold around the time he writes it.

“Like Wild Fire” is his favourite track on the album, though he never performs it live. “Sidesteps” comes out of the frustration of being stuck in a job he hates for nine hours a day, and he writes it after running home from work at a DIY shop. “Beautiful Morning” is recorded separately on New Year’s Eve in the corner of a crowded, drunken room at a friend’s house. “Slow Sad Swing Song” features violin from a friend from the Birmingham Conservatoire, and “Come Undone” includes the line “Found a room to be me in / Found a room where I can be myself.”

Recording and collaborations

Somewhere Down The Line is recorded in Birmingham in a studio he has known since he starts working there. Another part of his work, including “Making Bombs”, is recorded live on a balcony overlooking railway bridges and the Birmingham skyline, alongside “Electric Tracks” and “Slow Sad Swing Song”.

For the follow-up album, Guy Massey hears some demos and the project moves to a London studio, where sessions are mainly recorded live and described as fast and passionate. Stephen Fretwell later adds vocals to a song called “All There”. Local singer Jayne Powell contributes backing vocals to “Like Wild Fire”.

Live performance

Tye tours both with a band and alone. He also performs solo in venues such as King Tut’s in Glasgow.