John Mitchell’s solo project Lonely Robot first appeared in 2015 with the Please Come Home album, utilising a central ‘Astronaut’ figure as an Observer, in a finely crafted album of accessible rock songs with a progressive edge. The Lonely Robot concept was originally inspired by Carl Sagan’s inspirational suggestion to NASA to turn the cameras on the Voyager 1 space probe, as it reached the edge of the Solar system, back towards Earth. This suggestion gave us the iconic ‘Pale Blue Dot’ photograph of our planet in the vastness of space. Four more albums followed until A Model Life in 2022 which was more introspective, and it seemed that maybe the Lonely Robot project had made its final orbit. However, after a busy 4 years in which John Mitchell has continued playing in Arena and Frost*, and has even joined a rejuvenated Asia, John Mitchell has found the time to release what he tells us is the final Lonely Robot album in An Ending.
It may be the final orbit for the Lonely Robot, but Mitchell felt he wanted to conclude the journey of discovery and acceptance. Mitchell has shared recently:
“With this album, I wanted to close the circle of the Lonely Robot universe and bring back some of the elements that inspired the initial writing process. The astronaut has now travelled the full distance. He accepts, at long last, that he will never return home. Although there is grief in that, there is also, finally, peace.”
Casting memories back to Lonely Robot’s first voyage in 2015 it was fascinating then to hear John Mitchell’s own unique voice in his own distinctive project. He had forged quite a reputation mainly on guitars with Arena and Frost*, Kino and It Bites, but to a certain extent these were mainly outfits in which he was part of a collective contributing to their shared output. In Lonely Robot we were finally hearing an undiluted artistic vision from Mitchell alone, which he continued to develop over the next four fine albums. It is curious that he has now chosen to bring that excellent manifestation to a close with this release, but Mitchell is to be respected for bringing down the curtain on The Astronaut if he feels his narrative has come to… well, An Ending! Additionally, as ‘Lonely Robot’ is a project name hopefully it means we will still hear more from John Mitchell in a solo format again in future, possibly under a new project name or his own name. Whilst Mitchell is ALWAYS a high-class contributor in terms of performance and writing for those other bands over the years, it is with Lonely Robot that we hear John Mitchell with a singular and engaging vision, expressed with great skill and imagination.
Curiously, bearing in mind Mitchell’s reputation and skill as a guitarist, this is an album which is largely keyboard based, as becomes immediately evident with the opening The World Window’s stark, echoing chiming synths seemingly emerging from the distance. A plaintive cry of ‘I am a Lonely Robot and I’ve come to say goodbye’ sets the scene. Show me the Way begins with flute sounding synths before erupting with the characteristic ear-worm Lonely Robot melody. John Mitchell’s confident, assured vocals burst forth – he really is such a class vocalist. A brief more contemplative section mid-song is soon overwhelmed by the main tidal wave of this stirring song. This is an anthemic piece with fluid guitar passages and crisp drumming from Craig Blundell. Mitchell recently shared with ‘PROG’ magazine:
“’Show The Way’ is a call to arms. There’s so much incompetence and gaslighting in the world right now, and I wanted to write something that pushed back against that. We can’t afford to sit idly by while Rome burns… It’s about finding a way out of the trouble we’re in, holding on to our humanity and appreciating what we have.”
Back to the Middle is less frantic, drenched in gorgeous spacey melodies and great vocals. Lyrics such as ‘I’m Running out of Oxygen’ and ‘Just another Waste of Time’ convey a sense of resignation and despair as the song literally goes in circles with the repeated refrain ‘Takes me Back to the Middle’ . The guitar is used sparingly but the brief solo accentuates the feelings.
The atmosphere changes significantly with the crystalline shimmering wave-like keyboard intro to In Ocean Light. This is a real show case for Mitchell’s expressive vocals, filled with yearning. In Ocean Light ebbs and flows evocatively with a gently spiralling synth in the backwash. There is a nod to Prince with the ‘Purple Rain’ lyrics:
Lonely Robot take us to new heights in the song’s finale with a classic Gilmour-esque guitar solo, which undulates and flows majestically, growing and growing as it gloriously ascends, until it recedes into tinkling synths. It’s one of the best songs on the album and of the whole year.
Ad Astra commences with the sounds of a Space documentary about the inevitability of life elsewhere in the Universe in the background. A chiming keyboard motif revolves through the song with metronomic drums in a rhythmic, rolling melody, exuding a more positive, optimistic outlook. A smooth guitar solo takes flight before diving into the chiming keyboard and echoey vocals. The main melody returns to spiral us to the end. A piano led opening welcomes in the short but sweet Where in the World, sprinkled with tripping piano and splashes of drums. Another fluid guitar passage embellishes the song, enhancing it without dominating.
Twin Suns is altogether more ambitious, riding in on an ominous synth drone joined by bass and drums. This is a piece which opens out gradually, with restrained vocals perhaps suggesting impending doom, before blossoming more dramatically with a rousing chorus and eerie guitar motifs. This song exemplifies the successful Lonely Robot blueprint, skilfully mixing accessible hooks and melodies with more intricate, ambitious elements… and throwing in thrilling, flowing and lyrical guitar solos for good measure… and it all slowly fades atmospherically with an echoing refrain. The River continues the more ambitious and cinematic approach with a dramatic, thumping opening which recedes to an acoustic guitar and soft but resonant vocal oozing regret – another outstanding song.
Just when you start to think that perhaps Rearview is stretching out a little too much on a familiar path, we get to hear the weird mesmerizing cosmic waltz of Bending Light. With distant echoes of Radiohead’s ‘No Surprises’, the ethereal synth line underpins cold stark vocals. This dark carousel revolves onwards, increasing in volume and intensity, before a brief majestic guitar flight filled with graceful tones ascends. However, like light unable to escape a black hole, it cannot escape the gravity of the musical box-like main theme which returns softly, fading into the distance.
We are reaching near the end of the Lonely Robot’s epic journey, and The Iron Sea is soaked with the feeling of farewell, right from the opening sea sounds merging into eerie space-like synth noises and a gently undulating piano. Bright tinkling keyboards twinkle like stars alongside Mitchell’s yearning soft vocals. John Mitchell is not going for a corny dramatic widescreen climax, instead electing to focus on minor keys and subtlety, intuitively evoking small glimmers of hope amidst the sadness as our Astronaut slips away into the vastness of Space. Oblique elegiacally brings the cosmic curtain down on the Lonely Robot story with a sweet tinkling piano and fragile vocals, along with the sound of melancholic strings and Mitchell’s almost falsetto voice… singing ‘Slowly my Heart breaks gently’. Lonely Robot looks back with sadness but also acceptance about his fate. The piano and violin sounding coda fades away, giving a beautiful, emotional end to this saga.
John Mitchell has said of this final Lonely Robot album: “I hope Lonely Robot fans find this to be a fitting epilogue to the most creative decade of my life.”
Yep, John, this is most definitely a perfect ending to this narrative. John Mitchell has been the ‘Renaissance Man’ of modern progressive rock, involved in so many projects, but it is clear that since 2015 Lonely Robot is his most distinctive achievement and undoubtedly his artistic pinnacle. All good things must come to An Ending, but I can’t help feeling: ‘We miss you now Lonely Robot, Ever So Beautiful’
TRACK LISTING
01. The World Window (2:24)
02. Show the Way (4:41)
03. Back to the Middle (3:51)
04. Ocean Light (5:59)
05. Ad Astra (4:53)
06. Where in the World (3:46)
07. Twin Suns (6:21)
08. The River (5:56)
09. Rearview (4:39)
10. Bending Light (5:39)
11. The Iron Sea (3:46)
12. Oblique (3:21)
Total Time – 55:16
MUSICIANS
John Mitchell – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Bass
Craig Blundell – Drums
Jez Fielder – Additional Guitar (8 & 9)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: White Knight Records
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 11th September 2026
DISCOGRAPHY
• Please Come Home (2015)
• The Big Dream (2017)
• Under Stars (2019)
• Feelings are Good (2020)
• A Model Life (2022)
• An Ending (2026)
LINKS
Lonely Robot – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | X
