Borrowed Sparks is the solo endeavor of Nashville’s Mike Bay. A seasoned guitarist with a broad range of session and performance experience, the singer/songwriter’s eclectic rock sound first coalesced in his 2020 EP, The Prettiest One Left.

“It’s been something I could feel in my bones for a long time. Years and years,” Bay noted of the project’s debut. "I always knew where I was going, [but was] unsure of when I'd get there. I'm glad I'm finally here."

Acclaimed by Underground Music Collective as a “prime cut of rock and roll,” The Prettiest One Left is a testament to Bay’s foundations. The deep-rooted influence of artists like the Eagles and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is palpable, and heightened by resonating elements of folk and punk rock.

Later that year, Borrowed Sparks conquered new emotive heights with a deluxe version of the record, which featured acoustic reimaginings of three previous tracks.

“When I sat down to write the songs for The Prettiest One Left, I wasn’t looking for driving drums, chiming bells, or sweeping B3 organs,” Bay explained. “I was searching for a story and a feeling; a song in its purest form. Lyrics, melody and a couple of chords for them to lean up against… I wanted to show the songs true to the way they first came to me.”

This exploration of the album culminated in 2021 with the release of Borrowed Sparks’ first live performance series, The Smoakstack Sessions. The revisitation included recordings of three songs from the original tracklist as well as a cover of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Refugee.”

Now, Borrowed Sparks’ next iteration is here. Vehemently faithful to Bay’s established stylistic inclinations, his next album, Let a Little Light In, is less a progression than a transcendence into his post-pandemic state of mind—and a must-listen for fans of The Gaslight Anthem, Bruce Springsteen, and Frank Turner alike.