Against the backdrop of a universally difficult 2020, Essex-born songwriter and guitarist John Smith found himself facing personal and unrelenting change. "With newfound pain coming from so many directions, dealing with the uncertainty it brings, I closed the curtains and picked up the pen, turning to songwriting as a lifeline," Smith says. On his seventh full-length studio album and follow-up to 2018's Hummingbird, Smith gives us an uplifting perspective on the path forward, but pays beautiful homage to the difficulties along the way. The Fray features collaborations and guest features from Sarah Jarosz, The Milk Carton Kids, Bill Frisell, Courtney Harman, Lisa Hannigan and Jessica Staveley-Taylot.