Californian sojourn adds new edge to acoustic core

Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Niamh Regan has enjoyed a prolific presence on the Galway folk scene over the last few years – and now she is taking the next step; because working with the Black Gate’s new independent label, she is set to release an official debut album that also shows an edgier side to her acoustic staple.

With a refreshingly unique, melodic vocal and an ability to hook listeners with poignant and authentic lyrics, those acoustic sets are already familiar affairs for folk fans in the west of Ireland.

Niamh released Save the Day, the first single from her maiden LP, on Wednesday, June 10 – her most ambitious launch to date. The track plays with sounds and styles that haven’t previously held much weight in the singer-songwriter’s extensive catalogue of original music.

Taking on the grungier tone of an indie band, Save the Day may not reflect the atmosphere of the album as a whole, but it is a sign of the freedom and authority with which Niamh is currently writing.

“The single that’s just come out is basically a one-off on the album. There are only about four other tracks that are full-band,” she admits.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in California because my family are there and I went to a lot of gigs and saw grunge-y bands doing the indie chug and I was just really taken by it. I wrote this song with that in mind – I wanted to experiment with a full band with that sound and I really enjoyed it.

“I think it’s a sample of me dipping my toes into that kind of thing but the whole album is still quite folky. The next single that I’m releasing on July 10 is quite influenced by Van Morrison with double bass so it’s totally different again.”

Appropriately titled Hemet, the album largely consists of songs written in and around Niamh’s time in the Californian city. Hemet’s music scene appears to have acted as inspiration for the new single.

“It’s the city my husband is from,” she explains. “It’s just that a lot of those songs I wrote either in Hemet or when I came home so it’s this collection from this quirky little place. It’s a special place for us.

“My favourite part of a lot of that kind of music is that it isn’t very dynamic and it brings a sort of ‘this is what we’re about and this is the pace we’re setting’ so people can really focus on the lyrics and actually get in on the groove of it. This is just a self-reflection but with a lot of the songs I perform live I tend to go up and down and all over the place and it’s a lot more expressive I suppose.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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