Declan O’Rourke’s new single Arrivals, the title track of his much anticipated, Paul Weller produced album, is out on February 26 2021. The full album is due on the revised release date of April 9 2021 via eastwest records.
Declan says of his latest single:
“Arrivals centers around family history, my own directly too, people moving and coming back, the missing, the re-connecting. We all know these feelings. But while the song was written a thousand times, and recorded all before our world changed so much, it feels even more poignant now”.
Dearbhla Walsh – Film & Television Director (Fargo/The Handmaid’s Tale) / Executive Producer Arrivals video commented:
‘The familiar story of family emigration in the song ‘Arrivals’ resonated so powerfully for me with the dawning reality of how similar 2020‘s Christmas would be to those of generations gone by – suddenly there were ghosts where once there were heartfelt family hugs. Getting to collaborate with Declan on this video was one of the few joys of COVID. As my schedule didn’t allow me to direct it, it was a wonderful opportunity to involve young creatives I had met & mentored along the way. It’s been a rare & beautiful Privilege during these difficult times to introduce talented directors to Declan’s creative process, & open up new doors for them in the music world. And of course to feel the presence of the ghosts of memory come to life in sound & vision. Ever since I heard ‘Galileo’, I’ve been an admirer of Declan’s songwriting & inimitable voice, an authentic storyteller in the old fashioned way – one man & his guitar singing from the heart’.
In late January, Declan impressed with a showcase as part of the prestigious UK AmericanaFest: “The breakthrough act who took it to another level was Declan O’Rourke” Holler.
Arrivals showcases O’Rourke’s first new material in two years and brings us the most emotionally raw and affecting album of his career. Produced by Paul Weller at Black Barn Studio, Surrey, the sound is stripped back to Declan’s soulful and resonant voice, the virtuosic acoustic guitar playing for which he’s renowned and only the occasional sparse arrangement of strings and late-night drums bringing colour and light to the LP’s 10 songs. Weller, a fan of Declan’s songwriting for some years, also adds his multi-instrumental abilities to the recordings, including a beautiful piano accompaniment to the closing track.
O’Rourke’s last album Chronicles Of The Great Irish Famine, documented rare first-hand accounts from that devastating period of Irish history and garnered numerous awards. His writing is much admired and covered by fellow artists, most notably his classic 2004 song “Galileo” which has been recorded by Eddi Reader and Josh Groban amongst others.
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