On his new album Wasteland, Jim Ghedi has created something huge. Intense, brooding, bold, at times apocalyptic, and remarkably vast. A profoundly bold sonic statement that is some of the most rich, far-reaching and ambitious work that Ghedi has created to date – pushing the boundaries of what what folk music can be in 2025.

When Ghedi began working on this album he felt a little lost, unmoored, and unstable. Unsure of himself and the world around him. ‘I felt very frustrated with the state of England after moving back home to Sheffield from living in Ireland for a couple of years,’ he recalls. Yet while this album is one that has unquestionably come from a tricky place for Ghedi on a personal level, it’s also a record that contains flashes of hope and beauty amidst agonising demise and loss. ‘It was definitely quite a dark time writing the album and working on it,’ he says. ‘But it was also a joyous and uplifting experience. There was a real positive force around it and it felt quite cathartic and so much energy and enthusiasm was getting put into it. Also, I think this album is the closest I’ve got to the sound I’ve been working towards over the years. It feels like it’s at a place which most represents me.’

Despite all the turbulence that underpins this record, in the process of creating his masterpiece Ghedi has musically found a place he can now call home.