Sunderland songwriter Tom A. Smith details debut album, The Golden Gates

Alongside the announcement, Smith has also spoken publicly for the first time about living with a rare heart condition, revealing the experiences that shaped the album.

"Carrry That Weight" introduces Smith's personal world. The track is a statement that emerged from a spontaneous writing session with Hugo White, and was written in a single day, combining Smith's instinctive musical energy with an exploration of love, uncertainty and the fear that his health condition could become a burden to somebody he cares about. "Hugo knows my story, knows the situation. We did it all in a day," Smith explains.

Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, Smith has spent his life navigating an uncertain future while keeping much of his medical history private. By the age of four, he had undergone five lifesaving open heart surgeries.

"Upon my chest, etched on to my skin, is a scar. A scar that, and with everything that comes with it, haunted me for 20 years," he writes in a personal statement. "I was scared of it. I couldn't look at it in the mirror, I would pretend to be ill as a kid so I could miss things like swimming lessons or PE lessons because I was so scared of what the other children's reactions may be. I was ashamed of it."

He continues: "It's not just a scar. It's a map of everything that has gotten me to where I am right now. It's a symbol for everything myself, my family and hopefully all of you will continue to go through with me and there is absolutely nothing to be scared or ashamed of or to want to hide."

Recorded in Sunderland and co-produced alongside Barry Hyde of The Futureheads, Smith's former guitar teacher and long-time mentor, The Golden Gates brings together twelve tracks of alternative rock and intimate, honest songwriting. Smith's personal journey unfolds through three distinct emotional chapters: frustration, love and acceptance.

"The main thing for me is that this isn't a sob story. It's me being myself — and, as the final songs on the album show, there's happiness in my acceptance of my situation," he says.

Smith has appeared at Glastonbury, SXSW and a locked-out Great Escape show this summer, sharing stages with Elton John, The Maccabees, Gang of Youths, The Kooks and Miles Kane. He is currently set to tour the UK throughout November and December, including a headline show at London's Barfly on 22 December.

The Golden Gates artwork