A new week begins, and after a couple of weeks in which country music has very much dominated what we have put up, we have a new blues album to contemplate with our readers. This time, it is Ben Poole’s new album, “Post-Midnight Behaviour,” released by Gypsy Soul Records on Friday, September 25, 2026. It is Poole’s first album in eight years, following 2018’s “Anytime You Need Me.”
“I wanted this album to capture just how far I’ve come as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter,” says Poole. “After years of playing more than 150 shows annually across over 20 countries, everything has grown—my guitar style, my technique, my voice, and the way I hear music. “Post-Midnight Behaviour” is the sound of all those experiences coming together. It moves through blues, rock, soul, country, and alternative rock, but with a darker, late-night energy running through it. I still get to unleash the guitar, but this time it sits inside something more atmospheric, more reflective, and more emotionally charged. That after-hours mood is what inspired the album title.”
“In recent years I’ve released a few live albums, which are great snapshots of a specific moment in time,” adds Poole. “With this new studio album, I wanted to go much further. I took my time to make sure every detail was fully realized—the songs, the sounds, the arrangements, the performances, everything. My writing team and I pushed ourselves harder than ever, digging deep to make the songwriting as strong, sharp, and emotionally powerful as it could be. I honestly believe fans are going to feel that energy the moment they hear it. It has been well worth the wait.”
MUSICIANS
Ben Poole – Guitars, Vocals
Wayne Proctor – Drums
Oli Brown – Backing Vocals, Moog
Steve Amadeo – Bass
Bennett Holland – Hammond Organ, Piano, Wurlitzer, Rhodes
Elles Bailey – Guest vocals on “Runaway Souls”
The Review
Ben Poole can clearly play guitar. What interested me in “Post-Midnight Behavior” is how often he chooses not to show you everything he can do.
This is a modern-sounding blues record, and I mean that in a good way. Blues-rock is underneath it, but Poole folds in soul, country, gospel, pop, and straight-ahead rock without losing the center. The production is clean, the hooks are good, and his vocal delivery has a rich, almost in-the-room quality. A couple of these songs sound ready for American radio.
What stood out after a few listens was restraint. There is a guitar on this record that feels like it wants out, but Poole keeps picking his spots. He lets notes hang, gives lyrics room, and waits until a song needs more. I also kept hearing a man working his way through something. The record begins in frustration, repetition, and doubt, then slowly turns towards acceptance and movement. You can hear somebody emerging from the darkness.
“No Second Chances” – The album opens with a strong backbeat and some Texas blues-rock drive. Poole’s guitar caught me right away because of the space around it. Some of the single-note playing has the patient quality I associate with B.B. King: let the note ring and trust the silence.
The lyrics bring in the struggle that keeps returning through the record—mistrust, frustration, and trying to understand somebody else while carrying your own mess. A strong start, with good solos and raw emotion under the polish.
“Empty”—This smooths things out with an easy, almost modern-country feel. Emotionally, though, he is still stuck. He knows the pattern is hurting him before he knows how to break it, and the line about being “caught in the black and the blue” stuck with me.
The solo is melodic and controlled, serving the song instead of crowding it.
“Time Has No Mercy“—This is where the album starts moving. Time does not wait for you to get ready, and the song has a restless push that makes that truth feel immediate.
Poole sounds more confident here, and the guitar gets busier without taking over. It is one of the album’s most radio-ready tracks: strong hooks, forward motion, and enough guitar to keep its blues-rock backbone intact.
“Living On Repeat” (Buried in the Background)—This one is different. The music almost drifts while Poole is singing about being done drifting. A mellow distortion and smooth bass give it atmosphere, but the song feels more fragmented than the first three and does not grab me quite as much.
He is tired of repeating the same patterns and getting the same results. Maybe that unsettled feeling is the point. I like what this song is saying more than I love the song itself.
“Summer “Haze”—This one hooked me almost immediately. It feels like a Southern U.S. summer song—warm, easygoing, and a little nostalgic. There is a touch of modern country-pop in it, while the clean guitar tones occasionally remind me of the smoother side of John Mayer.
The opening lick is simple, clean, and catchy, and Poole fires off some quicker vocal lines over a relaxed beat without taking away from that laid-back feel. Here, change feels lighter. I hear about a summer relationship that did not last but was still worth having.
A good summer haze.
“Runaway ‘Souls'”—Featuring Elles Bailey—This is the one. Elles Bailey comes in with that smoky voice—gritty and tender at the same time—and she sounds great next to Poole. There are shades of blues-rock, country, Americana, and gospel, but mostly this feels like a really good rock song. Their voices fit.
The music pulls back enough to let the lyrics land, and being set free and no longer fearing the fall feels like the album turning a corner. Then Poole gives the guitar more room. The harder solo near the end gives the song its release, with a little Kenny Wayne Shepherd-type drive while still sounding like Poole.
They killed this one. My favorite track on the album.
“Searching”—This settles into a funky, bass-heavy groove with soul underneath it. He is moving now, even if he still does not know what he is moving towards.
The guitar stays behind the vocal, dropping in slow blues notes that ring and fade. It is thoughtful and well played. The slower groove just does not grab me quite as much as some of the other tracks.
“Nothing To “You”—This has more of a ballad feel and eventually builds into something almost anthemic. The echo around Poole’s vocal works, and there is attitude underneath the longing and frustration.
There is a little too much happening in the background for me; I wanted more room around the song. Then the guitar solo nearly changes my mind. Its twangy modern-rock sound keeps building towards a strong crescendo.
Lyrically, Poole reaches an uncomfortable truth: sometimes you have to stop trying to change what something is and move on. Not one of my favorites, but the guitar absolutely saves it.
“Start of the End“—slow, dark, and heavy. The guitar grunts and howls while the bass gives the song weight without crowding it.
The slower jams are placed well, and Poole lets the darkness sit before the chorus returns with a heavy, foot-stomping kind of hope.
Earned hope.
You can change direction, but that does not erase what came before. There is regret here, but redemption too. It feels like somebody finally standing up after a long time in the dark.
“Runaway Souls”—Radio Version—The radio version gives Poole and Bailey more room to sound like a true duet. The smaller arrangement lets both voices come through more clearly, and the back-and-forth feels more natural.
I may even prefer this version. Either way, it is still my favorite song on the album.
The Summary
Post-Midnight Behaviour sounds like a musician who has matured. Poole can clearly play, but what makes the record work is that he rarely seems interested in proving it. The blues is still there in his phrasing and feel, but it sits inside a cleaner, more modern sound that pulls from rock, soul, country, gospel, and pop.
That blend makes Poole highly accessible without making the blues feel like an accessory. At his best, there is some of that Kenny Wayne Shepherd-style drive—muscular blues-rock with enough polish to reach beyond a traditional blues audience—while still sounding like Ben Poole. “Runaway Souls” is the clearest example, and it remains the high point of the record for me.
A few passages lean a little more towards polished pop territory than I normally gravitate towards, and not every song lands with the same weight. But even when a song does not completely grab me musically, the story underneath it usually gives me something to follow. There is a man working through frustration, relationships, repetition, regret, and eventually some form of acceptance.
The sequencing helps that journey. Instead of spending all of its strongest material at the beginning, the record grows into itself. Some of the best moments arrive in the middle and towards the end, which keeps the album from feeling front-loaded and gives the listener a reason to stay with it. Whether that was deliberate, instinctive, or simply good sequencing, it works.
Poole is expressive without overplaying. He knows when the guitar should speak and when it should get out of the way. The same restraint appears in the songwriting. By the end, he does not sound like a man who has life figured out. He just sounds ready to move.
That may be what I like most about “Post-Midnight Behavior.” It sounds modern without losing touch with the blues underneath it. The darkness is still there. He just is not standing still anymore.
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Ben Poole is touring the UK in October/November 2026; the tour information and tickets are available from the artist’s website here.
You can stream music from Ben Poole here
By Chad Cubberly
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