(August 6, 2025) In the making of his fourth full-length, Atlanta-based singer/songwriter Curtis Harding dreamed up a batch of songs exploring the longing and unease of being far from home—a true-to-life reflection he soon expanded into an elaborate concept album about a pilot lost in space. Departures & Arrivals: The Adventures of Captain Curt merges the lavish scope of a space opera with the pure feeling of classic soul, ultimately bringing an even greater potency to his wildly eclectic sound.
Recorded live with a full band at Electric Deluxe Recorders (the Austin studio owned by Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas), Departures & Arrivals encompasses everything from moody space-funk to lush baroque-pop to otherworldly psych-rock—all while endlessly spotlighting Harding’s rich and captivating vocals and incandescent guitar work.
“Because I’m away from home so much of the time, a lot of these songs came from feeling adrift and wanting to get back to the ones I love,” he says. “I started envisioning this character who takes a journey and gets lost in space, then ends up traveling through different galaxies and dimensions as he’s trying to find his way back home.” Naming Ridley Scott among his favorite sci-fi auteurs, Harding notes that the extravagant world-building of Departures & Arrivals inspired many of his production choices, including the abundance of symphonic string arrangements supplied by Steve Hackman (a composer who’s worked with such diverse artists as Doja Cat and Andrew Bird).
Departures & Arrivals ushers in a bold new era for Harding while staying true to the profound sense of purpose that’s always fueled his songwriting. “Sometimes when you’re feeling lost, hearing from someone else who’s felt the same way can let you know you’re not alone—that’s really the whole sentiment of the album,” says Harding. “I hope these songs help people to recognize that feeling lost is all part of the journey, and that the journey is what’s most important anyway. And once you realize that, you’re on the right path. You’re already on your way home.”
