Stoneshoes – First Light (Album)

Stoneshoes (aka Nigel Rhys Watson) returns with First Light, a 9-track self-produced album that opens with “Wildfire.” It’s the first music from Watson since a near-death medical crisis left him hospitalized for seven weeks. The experience reshaped his approach to music entirely. What follows isn’t a comeback story – it’s a reset.

“Now Is the Time,” the second track, is built around a simple idea: The song blends live-played drum sounds with acoustic and electric elements, inspired by days spent with his family on the Pembrokeshire coast. You can hear the looseness in the track – buzzing strings, live feel, no edits to sand the edges off. Watson tracked it all at home, with his wife and daughter nearby as the song took shape.

The rest of First Light moves through rock, folk, reggae, and psych influences. Guitars are central – sometimes bright and rhythmic, sometimes distant and saturated. Tracks like “Wildfire” and “Dawn Patrol” stretch the album’s tone in different directions but keep the same human center.

Watson talks openly about survival, clarity, and presence. And the music follows that lead. First Light is direct and raw. The personal scale of the project – recorded solo at home, with input from family – is reflected in every decision.

It’s also a record that could work well in visual media. The blend of rhythm, melody, and raw texture would sit naturally in independent film, outdoor-focused work, or games with emotional pacing. It’s grounded in the physical world – real drums, played hands-on – and that gives it depth.

For Watson, who’s spent years as a DJ, crate-digger, and performer, this is a shift. It’s not about the gig or the dancefloor – it’s about staying awake, staying in motion, and remembering what it felt like to almost lose it all.