It’s not every day a former MP drops one of the most soul-stirring debut albums of the year, but Peter Bradley, now performing under the name Brandes, defies expectations at every turn.

The Distance Between Dreams, is a quiet triumph—lyrically rich, musically sparse where it needs to be, and emotionally weighty without being overwrought. It’s the kind of record that creeps up on you, then lingers.

There’s a deliberate rawness here. On “Please Don’t Call”, Brandes navigates the wreckage of a lost relationship with the weary grace of Leonard Cohen, while “Like A Dagger” pulses with an almost Nick Drake-like fragility. Meanwhile, “From The Higher Ground” injects some electricity, both sonically and ideologically, into the album’s center.

But it’s “Song for Mordecai” that elevates this project to something timeless. Blending oud, sagat, and other Middle Eastern instruments with a lyrical narrative that spans centuries, it’s an ode to the Jewish experience, but also to endurance, solidarity, and self-knowledge.

There’s no filler here—just finely-wrought songs from a man who’s seen life from every angle. Brandes isn’t here to perform; he’s here to reveal.

INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | SPOTIFY