Twelve years after the release of his self-titled debut, William Dorey—better known by his musical moniker Skinshape—remains an archetype of modern, independent auteurship. Operating out of his North London base, The Library Studios in Harringay, Dorey has maintained an astonishingly prolific output, releasing a full-length record almost every year since 2014, including two pandemic-era albums issued within a single twelve-month window.
His latest full-length project, Chapman’s Pool, arrives on October 30 via Lewis Recordings, serving as a cornerstone release for the independent label’s landmark 25th-anniversary year. Named after a secluded, tide-scoured bay on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast—within easy walking distance of Dorey’s childhood home in Swanage—the album represents a deeply personal geographical and sonic excavation. Featuring authentic field recordings of coastal waves, vintage analogue equipment, and an expanded roster of guest instrumentation, Chapman’s Pool bridges the gap between solitary studio craftsmanship and the organic energy of Dorey’s expanding live touring band.
Far from catering to the transient demands of the contemporary dancefloor, Dorey’s music occupies a timeless, tactile acoustic space. It is an aesthetic universe defined by mid-century textures—burnt oranges, mustard yellows, chocolate browns, and avocado greens—where velvet, corduroy, thick wool rugs, and silent lava lamps set the mood. As Lewis Recordings prepares to celebrate its silver jubilee with a massive showcase at Public Records in Brooklyn on October 27, 2026, Chapman’s Pool stands as a testament to the enduring power of analogue fidelity, steady artistic evolution, and uncompromising personal vision.
Detailed Chronology: The Making of Chapman’s Pool
Conception and Nostalgia
The conceptual roots of Chapman’s Pool stretch deep into Dorey’s upbringing on the southern coast of England. While his recent studio albums—such as 2022’s Nostalgia and 2024’s Another Side of Skinshape—hinted heavily at themes of memory, home, and geographical introspection, his latest work names its muse outright. Chapman’s Pool is a wild, inaccessible bay wrapped in towering cliffs on the Dorset coastline. To capture its essence, Dorey integrated authentic field recordings captured directly at the shoreline into the album’s soundscape, blending natural ambiance with vintage instrumentation.
This autobiographical geography bleeds directly into the lyricism of the record. The physical LP packaging features printed lyric sheets for five key tracks, immersing the listener in imagery ranging from a sudden, bracing plunge into deep water in "Spirit" to the pervasive, lingering taste of salt water in "Underwater."
The Studio Process and Instrumentation
Written and recorded across 2024 and 2025, Chapman’s Pool was meticulously constructed during intervals between live touring commitments with Skinshape’s full backing band. Dorey handled the vast majority of the writing, production, engineering, and mixing duties himself at The Library Studios. True to his DIY ethos, he utilized a vast arsenal of vintage gear, playing electric guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, synthesizers, and drum machines. Notably, the sonic palette expands on this outing to grant a much more prominent role to the Mellotron and the glockenspiel.
While Dorey remains the primary architect, the album benefits from strategic collaborations. Longtime live band member Tom Blunt provides driving percussion on seven of the album’s tracks, while Dan Hale steps in to drum on two others. Meanwhile, tracks like "Beyond Pluto" and "El Último Hombre" were performed, recorded, and mixed by Dorey entirely in isolation. The attention to organic detail extends even to non-musical audio snippets; the tail-end of "Take It As It Is," for instance, features the genuine sound of a car passing by outside the Harringay studio.
Once tracking was complete, the physical legacy of the record was secured through analogue mastering and cutting. Dorey handed the final audio files over to engineer Caspar Sutton-Jones at Gearbox Records’ renowned analogue mastering facility, ensuring that the warmth and depth of the original sessions translate flawlessly onto vinyl.
Supporting Context & Metrics: Sound, Formats, and Label Legacy
The Vinyl Phenomenon and Formats
In an era dominated by compressed digital streaming metrics and ephemeral playlists, Skinshape and Lewis Recordings continue to champion physical media. Chapman’s Pool will be released on October 30, 2026, available globally on standard black vinyl as well as a limited-edition translucent red alternative pressing. In a nod to dedicated collectors, both variants are being made available with hand-signed artist copies—a tangible connection between creator and consumer that aligns perfectly with the tactile, aesthetic warmth of the music itself.
Analogue Soul and Contemporary Production
Musically, Chapman’s Pool situates itself firmly within the upper echelons of contemporary soulful, organic independent music. Alongside kindred boutique labels such as Colemine, Timmion, Daptone, Stones Throw, and Big Crown, Lewis Recordings has spent a quarter of a century mastering a specific brand of modern retro-soul.
- Side A initiates this journey with "The Blade of a Knife," a sultry, vocal-led piece that fits the label’s sonic fingerprint like a glove. It transitions seamlessly into the funk-inflected rhythms of "Take It As It Is," before the title track pairs a buoyant, feel-good guitar riff with the genuine sounds of seagulls and crashing Dorset waves. "Spirit" introduces an indie-folk sensibility tinged with cinematic nostalgia, driven by wordless vocal harmonies and shimmering lap steel guitar, before "Beyond Pluto" closes out the first half as a nocturnal, late-night comedown track.
- Side B explores a wider dynamic range, opening with the measured steps of "Underwater." This is quickly galvanized by "Together We Win," an electrifying guitar jam that bursts with unadulterated joy. "El Último Hombre" (translating to "The Last Man") channels the dusty, dramatic tension of spaghetti westerns—nodding overtly to Dorey’s cinematic leanings on 2015’s Oracolo. Later, "Last Dance In London" merges 1970s library music aesthetics with rich, cinematic arrangements.
An Expanded Orchestral Palette
While past Skinshape releases often relied on sparse, hypnotic arrangements, Chapman’s Pool boasts a remarkably rich supporting cast that elevates its final tracks into cinematic territory.
- Vocals & Choirs: A three-part vocal choir featuring Maddy Brodrick, Keziah Hodgson, and Athena Evangelou-Wilson adds ethereal depth.
- Strings & Woodwinds: Bryony Lowe anchors the cello sections alongside Ellie Consta on violin. Meanwhile, Ruta Sipola contributes sweeping flute melodies, most notably on the album-closing track "Bye Bye Addis"—a heartfelt sonic wave-off to Addis Ababa and the golden age of 1960s and 70s Ethiopian jazz that heavily influenced Another Side of Skinshape.
- Brass: The low-end and soaring melodies of the brass section are provided by Barnaby Slade (tuba), Adam Chatterton (trumpet), and Phillippa Koushk-Jelali (French horn).
Official Statements & Industry Milestones
The arrival of Chapman’s Pool coincides with a major institutional milestone: the 25th anniversary of Lewis Recordings. Over a quarter of a century, the label has quietly shaped the contours of independent underground music, keeping Dorey’s earlier works—starting with breakthrough records like 2018’s Filoxiny—permanently in print and distributed globally.
To mark its silver anniversary, Lewis Recordings has announced a massive celebratory live event slated for October 27, 2026—just three days ahead of the official release of Chapman’s Pool. Hosted at Public Records (located at 233 Butler Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217), the milestone evening will feature an exclusive DJ set from Skinshape himself, alongside a stacked roster of live performances and appearances from label associates and contemporary luminaries, including:
- Edan
- Rollo Doherty
- The Still Brothers
- Vermin The Villain
- Marina B
- Kim Foxen
- Charlie Forrest
- Midnight Cafe
- Raining Blue
- Colin Brown
This transatlantic celebration underscores the enduring health of the independent ecosystem that nurtures artists like William Dorey—creators who eschew major-label manufacturing pipelines in favor of long-term artistic independence, physical preservation, and community-driven curation.
Future Outlook
As Skinshape enters its second decade of recorded output, Chapman’s Pool proves that steady, unflashy artistic consistency remains a formidable creative engine. William Dorey has avoided the burnout and creative fatigue that often plagues modern musicians by treating his studio not as a pressure cooker, but as an ongoing workshop for personal expression.
Looking forward, the integration of a full live touring band alongside Dorey’s traditional solo studio methods signals a vibrant new phase for the project. The stage-tested tightness brought by collaborators like drummer Tom Blunt has successfully bled back into the studio environment, yielding richer arrangements, bolder brass and string instrumentation, and a more dynamic rhythmic foundation.
With Chapman’s Pool locked onto black and red vinyl, and a landmark 25th-anniversary celebration taking over Brooklyn, Skinshape stands as a beacon of enduring analogue craftsmanship. For an audience weary of digital transience and hyper-commercialized pop cycles, Dorey’s carefully constructed sonic rooms—furnished with velvet, warm wood, and field recordings of Dorset tides—offer a welcome, permanent sanctuary.
