First Time Flyers Release Debut Album

UK country sensations First Time Flyers have now released their debut album, ‘Bound To Break’ via Lookout Mountain Records.

When four friends with wildly different journeys – from the West End stage to Nashville song circles – decided to take a leap together, they became First Time Flyers: a harmony-driven, heart-led UK country band who are fast becoming one of the genre’s most exciting new names. Unusually made up of four lead singers and multi-instrumentalists, they are as capable behind the scenes as on stage – writing, producing, designing and releasing all their own music. Their sound is rooted in country but pulls in pop, rock, and singer-songwriter sensibilities.

Their debut album, ‘Bound To Break’, was out September 12, 2025 and is already being called a defining moment in UK country. The title refers to the idea that sometimes we have to break – break up, break down, break rules – in order to break through. It’s a raw and resonant look at the defining moments in our lives: the jumps we take, the ones we don’t, the ones we miss and the courage it takes to start all over again.

‘Bound To Break’ is more than a debut – it’s a document of survival, transformation, and truth. Across 15 tracks, the band explores what happens when life cracks you wide open: the heartbreaks, the healing, and all the growing pains in-between. It’s country music at its core – storytelling steeped in soul, honesty, and four-part harmony – but with a modern, cinematic edge and the band’s own British roots woven throughout.

Tracks such as ‘Jump’ (a BBC Radio 2 playlist hit) and its emotionally honest counterpoint ‘Out of Your Mind’ came from deeply personal conversations within the band about past relationships, identity and choosing love against the odds. One tells the story of Vicki’s journey finding true love, while the other mirrors Poppy’s mistakes in love along the way. The quietly powerful ‘Before the Wind Changes’ tackles Poppy’s experience of pushing through trauma too quickly, like skating on thin ice until eventually it cracks from underneath you. ‘Stay’, premiered on Vernon Kay’s BBC Radio 2 show, where Vicki & Tim went head to head on Ten to the Top! ‘Stay’ is a poignant declaration about the emotional tug-of-war when you love someone with a complex past. ‘Looking Back Now’ was written with friend Jeff Cohen (Sugarland, The Shires) the day after their first live gig at C2C. The band and Jeff went for lunch and Poppy was singing the recording the chorus idea into her phone. The next day, they wrote it. The song was inspired by the bittersweet realisation that you only get one ‘first’ and it encourages the listener to stop, breath & savour every second. ‘First Dance’ was written just days before Jake’s wedding & ‘Gold’ captures the feeling Tim felt when he bravely re-entered band life, but this time with his best friends.

“Every track is stitched from our real lives” says Poppy. “The love, the loss, the laughter, the things we said and the things we wish we’d said.”

The album is self-produced by Tim, capturing the spirit of the band’s live sound – raw but refined, spontaneous but thoughtful. The trust between them runs deep, and you hear it in every harmony.

About First Time Flyers:

Poppy Fardell, Jake Morrell, Vicki Manser and Tim Prottey-Jones each landed in this band with a different set of baggage. Breakups, burnouts, breakthroughs. Stage lights, solo records, and still each a burning dream to make something bigger. Together, they found a home in each other’s stories and stitched them into songs – and in the process, created something spectacular. They debuted in 2023, performed for the first time at Country 2 Country Festival (C2C) to glowing reviews. It marked the start of a whirlwind year that saw them sell out their first UK headline tour, perform at major festivals, and even open for Bruce Springsteen and The Chicks at BST Hyde Park. Their four-part harmonies, honest songwriting and infectious on and off stage chemistry makes them impossible to ignore.

But behind the momentum was years of personal grind. Tim, previously of UK country breakout band The Wandering Hearts, was navigating the end of a major label deal, new fatherhood, and a burnout from band life. Poppy was starting a solo music career, an acting career & releasing her debut album all while privately managing a chronic health condition & recovering from brain surgery. Vicki, a well known West End performer (‘SIX’, ‘Beautiful’ & ‘Sunny Afternoon’), was yearning to tell her own stories through music, while Jake, already a BBC Radio 2 favourite, was tired of shouldering the weight of a solo career on his own.

The connections came naturally. Tim and Jake met at C2C in 2018 and became instant musical allies. Tim discovered Poppy after seeing a video of her singing a James Taylor song with her dad on Twitter — and soon became her producer. Jake and Poppy wrote their first song together in an attic. Tim and Vicki, both fellow West End performers began working together on Vicki’s Solo career… Poppy supported Vicki, Vicki supported Jake, Jake supported Tim & so on… Three days and a thousand band names later… First Time Flyers was born.

Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By Measure PR

The single ‘Primadonna’ is out now.

Listen Here: https://slinky.to/Primadonna

Their debut album, ‘Bound To Break’  is out now via Lookout Mountain Records.

Purchase: https://www.musicglue.com/first-time-flyers/products/bound-to-break-signed-copy

Official Website: https://www.firsttimeflyers.com/