Nottingham five-piece Spiral Orbit released “In A Mine” back in March, and the context around it matters. The song was recorded prior to the death of guitarist and songwriter Geoff Middleton in late 2025, making it the first of two tracks the band has as a recorded legacy of his contribution to their sound. Geoff wrote the music, Keri Usherwood wrote the lyrics, and Gary Siddall contributed additional material – a collaborative split that characterized how the band worked. The lyrical inspiration pulls from HG Wells’ The Time Machine and the dwarven homelands of The Lord of the Rings, but the song is really about something more immediate: yearning, aspiration, and the weight of a life spent in drudgery without ever seeing the rewards of your own labor.
Musically, “In A Mine” is very cinematic and atmosphere-forward, with sound effects of mining and a dramatic organ leading the rhythm section into a very 70s prog rock sound. The organ creates a distinct ominous quality that works perfectly with the narrative told by the lyrics, which paint a picture of being stuck as a cog in the machine – a worker in a mine, simply doomed to be a worker bee and never tasting the honey for yourself.
There is a second recorded track still to come, which means one more chance to hear what Geoff Middleton brought to this band before his passing. That’s a strange kind of anticipation to sit with – knowing something exists, knowing it was made by someone who is no longer around to see it land. “In A Mine” carries that weight without being crushed by it, which is probably the best thing you can say about a tribute record. Spiral Orbit have spent years doing covers, learning how to serve a song, and that discipline shows here. They know when to let the atmosphere do the work and when to push. Based on this track, the second release is worth waiting for.
