Lucy Spraggan - Other Sides of the Moon

by Zena Grieg

published: 17 / 8 / 2025

Label: CTRL R3ecords
Format: CD

Authentic and resonating reimagining of her back catalogue on eighth album from Lucy Spraggan

Review

Derbyshire-raised singer-songwriter Lucy Spraggan came to prominence in 2012, when she appeared on the X Factor. Her latest album, her eighth, overseen by record executive and mentor Simon Cowell, is a deeply personal indie-pop mix of revamped songs from her back catalogue, supplemented by new songs. Personally resonating themes of loss, love and resilience transcend ‘Other Sides Of The Moon’, backed up by evocative storytelling. Songs to listen out for in this fifteen-track collection include: the anthemic opener ‘Unsinkable’; the lyrical, remastered title track and single, with its layered backing vocals, celebrating the singer’s journey from friendship to love and subsequent marriage to new wife Emilia; powerful new song ‘Heaven’ with its poignant lyrics: “Last night I picked up the phone/And went to dial your number/For a second, I’d forgotten you were gone/… You’re the reason that I need/To believe one day we’ll meet in/Heaven”; fan favourite, ode to resilience ‘Fight For It’; an empowering, inspirational reinterpretation of Spraggan’s 2020 ‘Sober’, featuring an emotionally-charged vocal interplay with Robbie Williams, the video strikingly juxtaposing a tearful Spraggan in 2020 with her current, energized, upbeat self; second new composition, sparse ‘The Lesson’ with its soulful piano and expressive lyrics about losing a parent: “You taught me to dream/You taught me to love/…But the only thing that you forgot to do/Is to teach me how to live without you”; reflective ‘Everything Changes’ with its plaintive string accompaniment; stripped-back, country-tinged ‘Lucky Stars’; the emotive piano ballad ‘Tea And Toast’; and the upbeat closer, ‘Lightning’ with its final uplifting lines: “Light up the sky with lightning/We ain’t afraid of thunder/…Be brave, don’t be afraid/It’s time to dance in the pounding rain”. Authentic, moving, ‘Other Sides Of The Moon’ is a confident next step in this impressive singer-songwriter’s journey.

Track Listing:-

1 Unsinkable
2 Other Sides Of The Moon
3 Heaven
4 Fight For It
5 Sober (feat. Robbie Williams)
6 Balance
7 The Lesson
8 Bodies
9 If
10 Lucky Stars
11 Butterflies
12 Run
13 Tea & Toast
14 Lightning