“The Pilgrimage” - Tim Oksanen
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
Some albums feel like they’re written in a studio bubble, neat and polished but detached from real life. The Pilgrimage, the new record from Australian alternative pop artist Tim Oksanen (out September 19, 2025), feels like the opposite—it’s an album born in the in-between spaces of life. Written between long shifts at the hospital, late nights with a young family, and moments of wrestling with faith, doubt, and purpose, it carries a rawness that’s rare in the pop world.
At its heart, The Pilgrimage is exactly what its title suggests: a journey. Not a glossy, straight road, but the winding, sometimes heavy walk of someone trying to leave behind old ambitions and reach toward something more eternal. The record doesn’t shy away from silence, pain, or failure—but instead frames them as essential parts of the story. Oksanen has always been about vulnerability in his music, but here he leans all the way in.
Sonically, the album leans on Oksanen’s sweet spot: piano-driven melodies layered with shimmering synths and soaring vocal stacks, his voice carrying both fragility and conviction. He produced and played much of the record himself, which adds to its intimate feel, though there are some beautiful collaborative touches—electric guitars from Lucas Ferguson and background vocals (plus co-writing credits) from his wife Naomi, particularly on the moving Ebb and Flow and Real Thing.
Speaking of Real Thing—the lead single has already picked up major traction. It’s a song that captures the album’s whole tension: the ache of chasing what the world tells us matters versus the quiet, difficult beauty of chasing something bigger, deeper, eternal. The title track The Pilgrimage doubles down on this theme, wrestling openly with ambition, failure, and faith.
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
Lyrically, Oksanen is at his most confessional. Lines like “God sees us—failures and all—and still sees value worth pursuing” are less lofty sermon and more survival note to anyone struggling through doubt. That sense of honesty runs through the entire album—you don’t feel preached at, you feel like you’re sitting with someone who’s been there.
For those familiar with Oksanen’s catalog, this feels like the next chapter after the emotional peaks of Aeon (born out of family upheaval) and Diamond (a love-filled celebration of marriage). The Pilgrimage isn’t just personal; it’s communal. It reaches outward, inviting listeners who might be questioning, grieving, or just plain tired to walk alongside.
What makes it land, though, is its balance of rawness and hope. Yes, there’s space for lament, silence, and uncertainty, but Oksanen always circles back to beauty—like stars above Monaghan fields, or the fireside waiting at the end of the journey.
The Pilgrimage is less about arriving at an answer and more about learning to walk through the unknown. It’s messy, honest, and, ultimately, deeply hopeful—a record for anyone who’s felt like they’re in between who they were and who they’re meant to be.
“The Pilgrimage” is available now on all major streaming platforms
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