The Afterword

The Afterword write intimate, lyrical indie songs where timeless melodic instincts meet a quietly modern pulse.

The Afterword is the new project from Tom Walkden and Alex Billig, a collaboration built around strong musical hooks and imaginative storytelling. Inspired by an eclectic set of influences, past and present, the duo have forged a sound that feels both rooted and unmistakably of the moment.

Their debut single „An Illusion“, produced by Moritz Kristmann (Pippa, Laela, Mira Taylor) alongside Mario Fartacek (one half of electronic duo Mynth), offers the first glimpse of an upcoming EP. Intimate in tone yet subtly cinematic in scope, the track unfolds with quiet confidence. There’s a lineage here that echoes the great folk duos of the past, reframed through the textures and restraint of modern indie.

Lyrically, „An Illusion“ reflects on memory, idealism and the fragile stories we tell ourselves to make sense of the past, carried by Walkden’s quietly observational voice and a chorus that lingers long after the final note.

Both artists arrive at The Afterword from varied musical paths. Walkden has appeared as guest vocalist and lyricist for Boz Boorer, longtime co-writer and musical director to Morrissey, and has worked with electronic producer Peter Zirbs. Billig is a classically trained pianist who has also pursued academic research into how the human brain processes sound.

The pair previously wrote and performed together in Oxford-formed band Wolventrix, whose songs caught the attention of NME, the magazine noting their „emotionally raw lyrics and immense choruses“. With The Afterword, the focus shifts firmly to the present: a new project with piano, acoustic guitar and deft flashes of electronica at the heart of songs about deep friendships, complicated loves and excursions through time, space and memory.

„An Illusion“ (coming on 17 April 2026) marks the opening chapter of a forthcoming EP and introduces a quietly assured new voice in contemporary indie.

photo by © Tim Cavadini