Olly Williams and the Improvised Solo on Candles Turned to Ash: What the Microphone Hears
A Wiltshire Tenor, a Lyric in Three Drafts and a Solo Improvised in the Studio
Candles Turned to Ash begins with a single acoustic guitar, strummed gently and given plenty of room. Then Olly Williams brings in the deep tenor that carries the rest of the performance. The Brighton-based singer-songwriter from Wiltshire released the single on 1 March 2026. It is a rock ‘n’ roll ballad that leans towards country and folk rock as it builds. The story of how it was written and recorded explains why it lands so well.
Olly Williams’s ballad Candles Turned to Ash sits in the playlist below, alongside our acoustic rock and unplugged picks. It reached this desk through PopHits.Co Music Charts, which verifies independent artists and places their releases across its network of music news sites. Press play first, then read on for how the lyric and the solo came together.
The Lyric of Candles Turned to Ash Went Through Three Drafts Before Olly Williams Let It Go
The words came together slowly. In a conversation with Cage Riot, Williams explained that the lyric went through three drafts. He wrote the first about a crush, shortly after he had missed his chance with her. A few months later, he co-directed a theatre production in which a character loses their partner in a tragic accident. So he rewrote the song from that character’s point of view. The finished lyric keeps the best lines from both versions. As a result, it sounds personal and dramatic at the same time.
That double origin is audible in the writing. Good Music Radar heard narration-style lyrics that paint the time spent together in clear images. In its reading, the song is addressed directly to the person he has had to let go. The title image works the same way. The candles of a relationship have burned down to ash, and someone else will light the next ones. It is a quiet way to describe accepting a loss, and it gives the song its central image.
His background as a performer shows in the delivery. He started out busking, and Good Music Radar described his voice as a deep, grand tenor. Project Timbre, meanwhile, heard a passionate voice that shows how deeply he feels the story. That commitment carries even the restrained verses.
Verses That Build, Changing Bridges and an Improvised Solo Shape the Structure of Candles Turned to Ash
The arrangement is patient. According to Project Timbre, the song starts on soft acoustic guitar and slowly grows into a full wall of sound. Bass, electronics and varied drums fill it out as it climbs. The same review also points to the layered composition: changing bridges, a middle eight and a soaring guitar solo. At just over five minutes, the track has room for all of it.
The turn comes late. Good Music Radar noted that past the three-minute mark the tone shifts to resignation and acceptance. The song then opens into a piercing guitar solo. That solo was not written out in advance. In fact, Williams told Cage Riot that his best friend and lead guitarist, Tom Inkpen, improvised it in the studio. As a result, the most dramatic moment on the record is also its least planned one.
Where Roy Orbison, Nick Cave and Elliott Smith Meet in This Recording
Williams names his own reference points, and each one maps onto a part of this record. Roy Orbison is his favourite songwriter for heartbreak. Orbison’s Crying in 1961 built from a quiet opening to a full-voiced peak, just as this ballad does. Likewise, Nick Cave tells dark love stories through a narrator, as on Where the Wild Roses Grow in 1995. The theatrical framing of this lyric owes something to that approach. Finally, Elliott Smith made close-miked acoustic guitar and voice feel like a private confession. That is exactly where Candles Turned to Ash starts before the band arrives.
Olly Williams Moves From the Rockabilly of Dubious Accord to a Different Sound on Vengeful Lake
The single also marks a change of direction. His 2024 debut album, Dubious Accord, leaned towards rockabilly. However, Williams told Cage Riot that his next album would sound different. He named Candles Turned to Ash as the clearest example of the new approach. That second album has now arrived. Vengeful Lake, a seven-track record released on 20 September 2026, closes with Candles Turned to Ash.
This recording suits listeners who like story-led ballads with a country and rock ‘n’ roll backbone. It also suits anyone who wants to hear a band capture a moment rather than polish it away.
AcousticMusic.News curator team: “Placing the solo straight after the middle eight is the smartest decision in the arrangement. It turns the instrumental break into the moment the narrator lets go. So the final verse lands as an aftermath rather than a repeat.”
Stream Candles Turned to Ash on Spotify and Apple Music, and watch the video on YouTube. For new music and live dates, follow Olly Williams on his YouTube channel, SoundCloud, Facebook and Instagram.
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