Big Big Train release their 16th studio album, Woodcut, marking one of the most ambitious chapters in the band’s long and carefully built story. For the first time, the group presents a full-length conceptual work that unfolds as a continuous narrative, examining creativity, sacrifice, belief, and the fragile space where inspiration can slip into obsession.

At the center of Woodcut is a character known as The Artist. Songwriter Gregory Spawton frames the album as both a personal and imagined journey, one that blurs the boundaries between inner life and external reality. In Spawton’s words, the story follows a man struggling with his creativity and with life itself, until he creates a woodcut he believes is beautiful and different. Whether dream or waking vision, he finds himself stepping inside the image and into an alternative world.

That idea of crossing thresholds shapes the entire record. Spanning 16 tracks across 66 minutes, Woodcut moves with purpose, balancing intimacy and scale without overstaying its welcome. Songs like “Inkwell Black” draw the listener inward, while pieces such as “Counting Stars” open outward with sweeping melodic weight. The album leans into warmth and texture, embracing a tactile, analogue feel that stands apart from modern excess and keeps the focus on emotion, storytelling, and flow.

The first single, “The Artist,” introduced that world with clarity and atmosphere, accompanied by a striking video created by Crystal Spotlight that mirrors the album’s themes of transformation and escape.

Long admired for their ability to combine classic progressive influence with their own unmistakable voice, Big Big Train continue that tradition on Woodcut. The Times have praised the band for creating music with powerful emotional impact, while MOJO has noted their ability to channel the ambition of earlier eras while sounding vivid and present. Bob Harris of BBC Radio 2 has long celebrated their pastoral, deeply English character, a quality that remains central to the album.

Founded by Spawton in 1990, Big Big Train have evolved through multiple lineups and eras, with a major turning point arriving in 2009 when vocalist David Longdon and drummer Nick D’Virgilio helped usher in a renewed creative period. Since then, the band have earned widespread acclaim, multiple Progressive Music Awards, sold out headline shows, and chart success that placed them at the top of the UK rock rankings.

With Woodcut, Big Big Train push forward again, delivering a record that feels carefully crafted, emotionally grounded, and driven by belief in the power of art itself. It is a story about making something by hand, trusting the process, and stepping bravely into the unknown.