Werkha explores the human connection between nature and healing

Werkha explores the healing power of nature as he shares music video and mini-documentary for ‘Narrow In’ – the final single taken forthcoming studio album ‘Unsung Irregular’, out October 10th on First Word Records.

“Narrow In feat. Daudi Matsiko” is the final single from Manchester-based producer, multi-instrumentalist and DJ Werkha aka Tom Leah, ahead of the release of his upcoming album ‘Unsung Irregular’, and supported to date across BBC 6Music by Lauren Laverne, Nemone, Huw Stephens, Huey Morgan, and Don Letts, Gilles Peterson on Worldwide FM, and BBC Introducing Manchester and East Midlands. A short and sweet blast of up-tempo folktronica, the track features British-Ugandan singer-songwriter Daudi Matsiko, merging positivity with an air of melancholy as the pair explore the power of physical and mental recovery through nature.

The track’s title refers directly to the narrow paths that criss-cross locations in Cumbria and Wales that have been integral in Werkha’s healing journey with scoliosis. Paths that lead directly to specific locations referenced throughout the record, in track names, samples, and sound design.

The music video for “Narrow In” provides a visual context for the themes explored in the song’s lyrics, provided by vocalist Daudi Matsiko. Shot by long-time collaborator Paul Chambers on location in Wales in an area of temperate rainforest, the video features a mythical plunge pool and waterfall – sites woven into Welsh folklore and overlaid with contour lines and imagery sourced from Werkha’s own back scans.

Colour graded by Oliver Hardingham, colour washes taken from scoliosis pedoscans blur with projected animations by Joel Hepworth, creating a dialogue between Tom and the landscape, overlapped with the struggling biome’s own need for recovery. A place of curiosity for Werkha, locations like this are a magnet that pulls him deeper into nature; a reason for him to spend more time outside, a place of healing, sanctuary, and recovery.

Accompanying the music video, a mini-documentary “Another Clearing” shot by Ryan Cooper goes behind the scenes of the music video shoot, offering additional insight into the powerful impact of nature on both Werkha and Daudi during the song’s creation.

Blending electronica, jazz, breaks, and acoustic textures, the album stretches across 11 tracks, speaking also to a wider community of people navigating their own hidden conditions and those carrying pain quietly.

“This album is about giving a voice to those fighting quiet battles daily… I hope that through my music I’ve created a space for people to feel like they can talk about their own irregularities.” – Werkha

A record full of vivid storytelling, Unsung Irregular reflects both personal experience and the value of creative practice as healing, connection, and self-definition.

Werkha – ‘Narrow In” is out now on First Word Records

Werkha – ‘Unsung Irregular’ is out October 10th on First Word Records.