Lonely Robot

Lonely Robot represents the solo endeavor of English multi-instrumentalist John Mitchell, whose guitar, vocal, and production skills have earned widespread acclaim through his contributions to several neo-prog outfits including It Bites, Arena, the Urbane, Kino, and Frost*. In 2014 he launched a planned three-album cycle exploring themes of alienation and isolation, drawing on a hand-picked roster of guest artists that included Nik Kershaw, Marillion’s Steve Hogarth, Go West’s Peter Cox, and Mostly Autumn’s Heather Findlay. The resulting debut, Please Come Home, emerged after only two months of intensive work and appeared on Inside Out in early 2015, juxtaposing weightier, darker progressive passages against brighter, melody-driven pop touches. Mitchell then devoted the bulk of the following two years to Arena and Frost* commitments on both record and stage before reassembling in the studio with a permanent lineup of drummer Craig Blundell, bassist Steve Vantsis, and keyboardist Liam Holmes. Issued in 2017, The Big Dream advanced the overarching narrative while adopting a gentler, more grounded, and mildly psychedelic atmosphere. The subsequent release Under Stars completed the sequence fans have labeled The Astronaut Trilogy, clearing the path for a fourth album, Feelings Are Good, whose songs reflected a distinctly autobiographical turn in Mitchell’s writing.