# Radie Peat’s solo debut gives traditional songs fresh emotional force

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/radie-peat-no-human-tongue-can-tell-review-lankum-singers-solo-debut-is-the-years-best-folk-album/
- Published: 2026-10-30T09:00:50+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-30T09:32:20+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/oct/30/radie-peat-no-human-tongue-can-tell-review
- Topics: Culture

## Key points

- Radie Peat’s debut gives traditional songs fresh emotional force.
- The album centres on women’s struggle, strength and endurance.
- Stark arrangements and detailed production make it a folk standout.

## Summary

Radie Peat’s debut solo album, *No Human Tongue Can Tell*, reworks traditional songs about women’s struggle, suffering, strength and endurance. The Lankum singer’s restrained, stark arrangements and emotionally charged performances give the old material fresh urgency, making the album a standout in this year’s folk music.

The record opens with Peat singing “Hares on the Mountain” over sparse keys, then builds its sound with Mellotron, Wurlitzer and other textures. Highlights include a sorrowful “Willow Garden”, the unsettling “Still I Love Him” and Liam Weldon’s political lament “Dark Horse on the Wind”; producer John “Spud” Murphy’s work brings out details such as concertina breaths and Eleanor Myler’s drums.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.