Stephen Bailey / G.G. Ryder LP Solid White Vinyl

Hailing from Perth, Western Australia, Stephen Bailey is a folk rock artist who’s timeless songwriting traverses psychedelic rock, folk, cosmic country, tropicalia and indie-rock. Known to many as the lead vocalist and keys player in the enigmatic Australian psych-rock outfit, Mt. Mountain, Bailey has been humbly exploring his own solo endeavours since 2017, releasing three albums — Silo (2017), 9 (2019) and Tunnel (2021).

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G.G Ryder is the outcome of strictly listening to folk, blues and cosmic country bands from the 1960s and 70s, with Bobby Charles, J.J Cale, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Crosby, Stills & Nash, George Harrison and Simon & Garfunkel being just a few of Bailey’s influences. On this record, Stephen Bailey approached each instrument as if they were being played by an individual with their own tones and playing styles, which gives the songs a live band feel. Bailey’s tasteful use of slide guitar and flute across many of the songs brings everything together for a cohesive listening experience.

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G.G. Ryder was recorded in Stephen Bailey’s home studio in Perth during February 2022. Being a solo recording artist, Bailey often finds himself writing his songs around a looping theme on guitar, keys or drums, adding vocals and other instruments layer by layer. A lot of artists usually find this approach restrictive but Bailey clearly thrives within his limitations. “My process for this record was different from track to track but the most common starting point for me is drums or percussion”, says Stephen. “I then add guitar and vocals and try to weave everything else around that. It’s my second time recording by myself and I've definitely learnt a bit in the process. I played all the instruments on this album bar one track 'G.G Ryder’ where my friend Chris Foster played the piano.”

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Lyrically, G.G. Ryder is about the simple things in life that we appreciate more with time and experience — it's also about love, loss and bringing people together. Talking about the album, Stephen says; “looking back at it now, there are quite a few songs that touch on ‘nature’. Going for walks in the hills with my partner and dog has been a big part of my life for the last few years.” The folkier songs such as ‘The Holder’ and ‘The Wind’ both emphasise Stephen Bailey’s respect for nature and his love of the simple life, whereas the country and blues tracks like ‘Susie & The Babe’ and ‘G.G. Ryder’ tell stories that could be pulled straight from 1960s western films. ‘Bar Kraut’ is an instrumental jam that has the hypnotic grooves of King Gizzard and Kikagaku Moyo and ‘In Out’ epitomises Bailey’s new country rock sound and is about “the short time we get on this planet and how special it is to leave our little pieces of art behind.”


“For G.G. Ryder, he takes a tonal shift and embraces ‘70s folk rock, Country, and psych-folk, imbuing the album with a breeziness” — Raven Sings The Blues (USA)

1. The Wind

2. Gather

3. Susie & The Babe

4. Bar Kraut

5. Ripley

6. The Holder

7. G.G. Ryder
8. In Out

9. Walker St