"This is an album with a reassuring warmth, a comfort blanket of noise to keep out cold nights and dark thoughts, and it does feel like 'You Stay by the Sea' in some ways concludes a big chapter of his life. Maybe we will see a reinvented Axel Flovent going forward and whilst I'm not expecting a complete change in direction (no 'Songs from the Musicals'), it's pretty evident he has a clear sense of purpose, a group of excellent musicians and producers around him, and he's in exactly the right place geographically".