FOR Adam Stafford, lockdown has been a period of reflection and renewal as he unearthed the inspiration for his latest release in his past.

The Falkirk songwriter is preparing to release a new album later this week but it is material that may never have come to life had it not been for the pandemic.

One day, he was going through some old things when happened across a little red book, left forgotten in the bottom of a cardboard box.

Full of old lyrics and memories, it was a snapshot of a past life and came complete with a box of cassette tapes, packed with hundreds of demos.

Stafford was intrigued - he decided to re-learn some songs, take fragmented ideas from the past ten years and remoulding them into an entirely new album.

He says: "I decided to revisit and refurbish them, like a detective looking over an old case."

The result of this period of reflection is Diamonds of a Horse Famine.

Throughout the nine tracks, Stafford delves into addiction, mental illness, poverty, toxic relationships and other dark topics.

  • Adam Stafford's Diamonds of a Horse Famine will be available from Friday, October 30.