By Colin 
Gabrielle Aplin has announced plans to reissue her debut album English Rain on 6 March 2026. The new vinyl edition marks the record’s tenth anniversary and features two previously unreleased bonus tracks, offering fans a fresh perspective on one of her most defining releases.
Originally issued in 2013, English Rain introduced Gabrielle’s signature sound, with heartfelt lyrics, acoustic warmth, and a clear, expressive voice. The reissue adds “Start Again,” written for Skins, and “Take Me Away,” an iTunes bonus track that appeared on the deluxe version of the album. Together, these additions bring new context to an album that captured the spirit of a young artist finding her voice.
A decade of growth
When English Rain first arrived, it positioned Gabrielle as one of Britain’s most promising young songwriters. Blending folk influences with polished pop arrangements, she balanced intimacy with ambition. Long before she signed a record deal, she had already built a following through self-released EPs and YouTube performances. The reissue revisits that era and shows how the authenticity of her early work has shaped everything since.
In our 2010 interview, a seventeen-year-old Gabrielle described her fascination with real instruments and her determination to stay true to her craft. “I like using a real piano and then making it sound quirky,” she said at the time, outlining an approach rooted in texture and emotion rather than production trends. That same creative philosophy would define English Rain, which continues to resonate more than a decade later.
The reissue serves as both a time capsule and a reaffirmation. Its themes of home, hope, and human connection remain universal, while the new material enriches the narrative of a record that helped shape her career. Songs such as “Please Don’t Say You Love Me” and “Home” still feel vital, bridging past and present with ease.
The next chapter
The reissue coincides with Gabrielle’s upcoming UK and Ireland tour, which will celebrate ten years of English Rain. The run includes shows in Cork, Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bristol, and London, where she will be joined by Lewis Watson, with Alfie Hudson Taylor appearing on select dates.
While the tour revisits familiar stages, the reissue offers listeners a moment to reflect on how much Gabrielle has evolved since her debut. Her later albums, including 2023’s Phosphorescent, show a mature songwriter still guided by the same honesty and craft that defined her earliest work.
For Gabrielle, this new edition of English Rain is more than a nostalgic release. It is a reminder of how far she has come without losing sight of what made her music resonate in the first place. Ten years on, her debut still feels as intimate and enduring as ever.
You can pre-order the vinyl reissue of English Rain here.