UK-Based Orphan No More Releasing Debut Album 'Even Now'
Orphan No More Co, a music collective based in Bath, England, announces the release of their live album, Even Now, on October 23. Leading up to the project's debut, three singles have dropped since July, "I Belong," "Roll My Stone," and title track "Even Now."
Even Now was recorded live in 2019 during a winter retreat spent at Royal Epping Forest in a 250-year-old English barn converted into a studio where the group spent their time writing, singing, recording, and sharing life together. The album was produced by Jack Kircher and the songs were written entirely by Orphan No More members.
Orphan No More Co is not only a music community but it is also their mandate, mission, and conviction. "We believe our world needs to know a hope that prevails and a belonging that isn't dependent on what we can or can’t do," explains Joshua Luke Smith, co-founder of Orphan No More. "We belong because we are loved, we have hope because we believe our stories will be redeemed. One of the last things Jesus said to His followers before He died was, 'I will not leave you as orphans.' He was speaking of a spiritual state, where we live as those who are loved, found, and connected with God and one another."
Desiring the album to be a space for those who are brokenhearted, weary, and lost, Orphan No More Co also wants Even Now as a space for shouts of praise and gratitude. "This album is space for it all, the full human experience," Smith includes.
This is also true for the title song, "Even Now," a lament and an exaltation which was written the night when Esther, a young mother and a core member of the Orphan No More community, went to be with the Lord. Smith shares, "As a community we’re passionate about creating space for those in grief, for those at a loss and searching for help and hope. This is something we’ve lived. We lost Esther, our best friend, and one of the founders of Orphan No More in 2018 after a battle with breast cancer. We believe this is a song for this season, in all its calamity and confusion. May this song wrap you in resurrection hope, may you know, in the depths of your soul that your story isn’t over."
