Salt Year, his third album on the label, was born out of a period of personal tumult Bathgate refers to The Salt Year. These songs are the battle cry for that time, he explains, and recording them was a painful and joyful experience. Bathgate first began drawing attention in 2007, when he made an exceptional splash with critics and fans all over the globe with the release of his A Cork Tale Wake LP, and its breakout track Serpentine. He went on to tour the world several times over and found himself on the surreal brink of becoming a breakout act in a tumultuous time for those living as musicians. Following such successes though, were personal hurdles, failed relationships, and an intense period of self-criticism, all of which would lead Bathgate to scrap his next album multiple times, causing almost 4 years to lapse between his early demos and the completion of Salt Year. After several years of struggle, Bathgate has reemerged on the other side with a more realized version of his signature country-tinged gothic folk. It is perhaps that very struggle that makes this latest album such a triumph.