The “Godfather of Britpop” as a folkie – Paul Weller now honors his own heroes

Somehow, it's 1995 again. The four biggest Britpop bands are back. Blur released their ninth album, "The Ballad of Darren," in 2023, and more of Jarvis Cocker's Pulp, "More," was released in June 2025. On July 25, Oasis will release a new live version of "Cigarettes & Alcohol" (digital only for now) alongside their world tour.

And "Antidepressants" is the title of Suede's album about anxiety and paranoia, which will be released on September 5, 2025. Now the "Godfather of Britpop" strikes – Paul Weller, whose bands The Jam and The Style Council were key influences of Britpop – as were the Kinks and the Beatles.

Weller's album is called "Find El Dorado" – an "emotional map of his musical DNA" featuring the songs, musicians, and bands that shaped him. The mythical land of gold, El Dorado, is a metaphor for unattainable dreams and also lies "beyond the mountains of the moon" in the meandering folk song "El Dorado" by the little-known songwriter Eamon Friel, who died in 2019. Weller's voice sounds rougher than it did recently, and his godson Noel Gallagher of Oasis plays acoustic guitar. It's something!

On his first cover album, "Studio 150," which also featured the Oasis B-side "One Way Road," Weller celebrated big folk names: Dylan, Lightfoot, and Tim Hardin. Here, folk is the predominant tone. And with guests like electronic musician Hannah Peel, neofolkies Amelia Coburn and Declan O'Rourke, and Senegalese kora master Seckou Keita, other forgotten bards are dusted off. Ever heard of Duncan Browne, or Lal and Mike Waterson?

Or from one-hit wonder Brian Protheroe, who, in 1974, when the 16-year-old Weller was already rocking with The Jam, sketched a lost weekend in the song "Pinball." Manu Dibango's saxophone dances through Weller's cover version. A harmonica grounds "Clive's Song," a blues by Scottish troubadour Hamish Imlach, in which Weller shares the microphone with Led Zep singer Robert Plant.

It's clear that Weller sees the album title as an invitation to the listener to discover this El Dorado of truly beautiful, rarely or never-heard songs. The 67-year-old's land of gold comprises 15 tracks, which, unlike "Studio 150," seem to be seamlessly interwoven. "Nobody's Fool," with its strings and thrumming piano, sounds like a Britpop song—unplugged. No wonder: This study of loneliness was written by Kinks leader Ray Davies—for an obscure band called Cold Turkey.

Speaking of cold turkey: The Beatles, the band that first captivated Weller in 1967 when he heard the single "Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane" at the age of eight, are once again absent. Instead, the Bee Gees appear, with Weller keeping the original's '68 ballad "I Started a Joke" in check with a Neil Diamond-like vocal.

Their next albums will show whether these beloved godchildren will pick up the thread of their godfather. Steve Cradock, guitarist of Ocean Colour Scene, produced the album. It's high time for this Britpop band's comeback.

Paul Weller – “Find El Dorado” (Parlophone) – released on July 25