Lichen

LICHEN is the recording project of South London–based songwriter Michael Clark, whose music moves with quiet force: languid on the surface and meticulously structured beneath. Balancing delicate textures with emotional weight, Lichen’s songs carry an intensity that has evolved patiently and deliberately over the past decade.
Clark first began releasing self-recorded music online in 2014, slowly building a devoted following. His debut EP Something To Be Won (2019) marked a turning point, earning praise for its sparse arrangements and lyrical candour, and establishing Lichen as a singular, quietly powerful voice in UK alternative music.
This arc culminates in Lichen’s debut album In My Dreams You Were Golden, released in 2025 on Joy of Life International. The record expands Lichen’s sound into something more collective and cinematic, while retaining its intimacy. Across ten tracks, Clark explores memory, loss and spiritual survival through elemental imagery and dreamlike restraint. First single “Light on the Firing Line” featured in the closing sequence of Shane Meadows’ BBC series The Gallows Pole, with Meadows hailing the record as “a record with the rare ability to both lift and levy the heart.” Live, Lichen’s songs unfold with patience, grace and quietly devastating power.