Who Is Joseph Laurence?
Joseph Laurence is a UK songwriter and composer making warm, cinematic music - Melodies written at the piano and built into fully arranged worlds. His single The Runaway Mine Train, an original song inspired by the Alton Towers ride, is out now, with more records to follow, including Alton After Dark, an album devoted to Alton Towers after dark.
A Melodic Mind, Finally Let Loose.
Joseph Laurence is a UK songwriter and composer making warm, cinematic music - Melodies written at the piano and built into fully arranged worlds. His single The Runaway Mine Train, an original song inspired by the Alton Towers ride, is out now, with more records to follow, including Alton After Dark, an album devoted to Alton Towers after dark.
That is the whole of it: a melodic mind, a piano, and a handful of worlds worth getting lost in. No genre gymnastics, no second identity - Just songs you can press play on and disappear into. Everything below is the longer story of how they get made and where they come from.
Music has played in my head for as long as I can remember - Full melodies, chord progressions, whole arrangements arriving uninvited. For years I chased them the long way round, and the ideas were never the problem; getting them out cleanly was. I think like a technologist and hear like a musician, and the two have finally met in the middle.
I cannot read a note, but I play by ear. Every song starts the same way - At the piano, finding the melody first, then the chords underneath it, until the thing in my head is in my hands. The studio tools that finish the sound are exactly that - Tools - with me conducting every decision. Composer first, technology second. The songwriting is mine, and I am proud of it.
The Sound and the Influences.
Cinematic is not a marketing word here - It is the literal aim. I want each song to feel like a scene you can stand inside: a clear melody you could hum, real-feeling orchestration, and a build that takes you somewhere by the end. Piano sits at the centre of nearly all of it, because that is where the songs are born.
The pull is toward film and game scores that make you feel the size of a moment, toward songwriters who put the tune above everything, and toward the particular golden-hour ache of a place you love. Warm, emotional, widescreen - That is the lane, and I am not interested in leaving it.
The Worlds Behind the Records.
I do not write singles in a vacuum; I write worlds. Each record is a place with its own light and weather, and the records below are the ones taking shape now. Different feelings, same hand on the wheel.
Alton After Dark
Album, out 30 September 2026 (early previews on SoundCloud now) - A cinematic, nocturnal love letter to Alton Towers after dark, and an independent one: inspired by the park, not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Fireworks over the Wicker Man, lantern-lit Victorian gardens and the Runaway Mine Train rattling off into the dark. Warm, a little gothic, euphoric.
The Inner Circle
Album, out 31 August 2026 (early previews on SoundCloud now) - The most personal record, about my family and the small, fierce collection of friends who make up my world, and the adventures we get into together. Warm, anthemic, unashamedly about belonging.
The Runaway Mine Train
Single, out now - An original song inspired by the Runaway Mine Train at Alton Towers, not the ride's soundtrack. Golden-hour adrenaline: the rattle of the track, the scream into the drop, the joy of being a kid again. To my delight, Alton Towers themselves have had it playing in the office.
Arcadian Sky
Trilogy - Three cinematic sci-fi chapters out now on every streaming service (The Sky Was the Limit; The Birth of Rick's Republic; Arcadus, Are We), one story told in three. A fan tribute to the world of ARC Raiders - A rise, a reach, a new world under an open sky.
Atlas Stadium: Neon City Nights
EP, out now - The first release of my Modern Age and a neon stadium show all its own: a floating city, a molten world held high and a whole arena roaring back. Anthemic, electric and arena-sized, kept as its own contained world.
Béres by the Sea
Single, out now - A warm, tongue-in-cheek love song about Béres Pork Shop and the finest pork bap I know, eaten by the sea at the golden end of the day. Daft, heartfelt and gloriously simple.
Surfing With Piano Joe
Single, out now - Summer holiday in song form. Greetings from Utopia: shades on, loud shirt, Snoopy (my mum's poodle) in tow and not a care in the world. Breezy, funny and warm.
The Inner Circle, Off the Clock.
The records come from a real life - Nights out, daft adventures and the people who make them unforgettable. A couple of snapshots from along the way.
The Things I Will Not Compromise On.
A few rules keep all of it honest, whatever the world I am building.
Melody First
Everything begins with a tune worth keeping. If the melody does not move me, nothing else gets built on top of it.
Feeling Over Polish
I would rather a track make you feel something than be technically perfect. The emotion is the point; the rest serves it.
Worlds You Can Enter
Each record is a place with its own light and weather, made to be stepped inside, not just heard in passing.
Honest About the Craft
Composer first, technology second. I am open about how the music is made, because the songwriting is mine.
Available for Licensing.
Because the music is genuinely cinematic and piano-led, it tends to suit film, documentary, trailers, games and theme-park briefs - And it is available to licence direct from me, the artist. As an independent UK composer I can offer one-stop clearance, instrumental versions and stems on request, and a fast, direct reply. If you are a filmmaker, music supervisor or developer, you can read the details and get in touch on the licensing page.
Whatever the world - The park after dark, a kitchen full of friends, the top of a lift hill - the job is the same: turn a feeling into something you can live inside.
Questions People Ask.
Who Is Joseph Laurence?
Joseph Laurence is a UK songwriter and composer making warm, cinematic music. He writes melodies at the piano and builds them into fully arranged worlds, and his single The Runaway Mine Train, an original song inspired by the Alton Towers ride, is out now.
What Kind of Music Does Joseph Laurence Make?
Warm, cinematic, melody-led music - Piano at the centre, real-feeling orchestration and builds that take you somewhere. Each record is a self-contained world, from the euphoric theme-park single The Runaway Mine Train to the cinematic album Alton After Dark, inspired by Alton Towers after dark.
Is The Runaway Mine Train the Alton Towers Ride Soundtrack?
No. The Runaway Mine Train by Joseph Laurence is an original song inspired by the Alton Towers ride - It is not the ride's soundtrack. It is out now to stream, and Alton Towers have had it playing in their office.
Is Alton After Dark an Official Alton Towers Album?
No. Alton After Dark is an independent cinematic album inspired by Alton Towers after dark. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or commissioned by Alton Towers or Merlin Entertainments - It is one fan's love letter to the park after the lights go down.
Can I Licence Joseph Laurence's Music?
Yes. The music is available to licence direct from the artist for film, documentary, trailers, games and theme-park projects, with one-stop clearance and stems on request. See the licensing page to enquire.
Come and Have a Listen.
The records are taking shape. The best way to follow along is to hear them for yourself.