“Yeah, it comes naturally by being there”, says Irish singer-songwriter Maria Somerville, as we sit down via Zoom on a gloomy Gaeilge day. “Slow movements, the landscape, the coast, the different weather. Rough and subtle. The changing of the seasons. You really feel it in the countryside. It’s definitely inspired by that, but then this album is also more outward sonically.”
We’re talking about Maria Somerville’s new record, ‘Luster’, out now via legendary label 4AD. Those following Somerville and the label will have been on high alert since the announcement – this is a match made in sonic heaven. The illustrious label has released various early shoegaze, dream-pop, post-punk and alternative-leaning records from the likes of Cocteau Twins, Bon Iver and, more recently, artists like the Erika de Casier. It feels like the right time for Somerville to have teamed up with them, having self-released her critically-acclaimed debut, ‘All My People’, in 2019.
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Much has changed since then. Somerville found herself back in her homeland – along Galway’s Atlantic Coast in Connemara to be exact – a place closely woven into the fabric of her sound. While ‘All My People’ fundamentally focused on atmosphere as opposed to typical song structures, ‘Luster’ features several tracks that are Somerville’s most outwardly delineated and daring pieces yet. Visually, when listening to new tracks like ‘Projections’ or ‘Garden’, you envisage a band standing on stage, whereas ‘All My People’ was the result of a much less collaborative endeavour, having been worked on by only one other person – sound engineer Brendan Jenkinson.
“There was a crew of us,” she says, reminiscing about the recording stage this time round. “You get influenced by your friends and what they’re making in their own right. It was nice to come together. As ‘All My People’ was so introverted, it was great to have people around for the process. I record myself but I can get stuck at a certain stage. For the song to evolve sonically I wanted to work with others.”
‘Luster’ features many collaborators, with J Colleran, Brendan Jenkinson, Suzanne Kraft, Ian Lynch of Lankum, Margie Jean Lewis, Henry Earnest, Finn Carraher McDonald, Róisín Berkeley and Olan Monk all contributing production and session credits, and Olan also joining Maria on tour. “I really appreciated self-releasing with ‘All My People’ but the label has been great,” she says. “Creatively I’ve been able to express myself. There haven’t been any knock-backs and they’ve been very nurturing. I’m touring more places because of it. I’m going to be playing in America for the first time. The big ‘Shtates’. That will be totally new.”
Also joining Maria and Olan on tour will be members of her three-piece band; Michael Speers on drums and Séan Being on bass. CLASH was lucky enough to attend one of the trio’s first live performances in Ireland at a show in Belfast; an edge, enhanced version of post-punk and dreamy shoegaze coming alive through a tantalizing stage show. “It’s been fun! We’re reinterpreting the songs for live,” she says, smiling. “I’m really looking forward to New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It’s great to be doing something different.”
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Fans of the intimate sound, please do not fret! Maria isn’t going to be screaming into a microphone any time soon. The ethereal atmospherics, drones and ambience are still there in abundance; it’s like stumbling across something ancient or sacred, woven together in a way that only the Irish songwriter knows how. Each piece of music is a painting coming alive with each stroke of the brush.
“There’s a few songs on there that are a bit of a nod to ‘All My People’, that follow that introverted style. They’re very dear to me,” she says of an auditory experience that meanders back and forth between found sound, as opposed to slamming on the brakes for a full U-turn. The term ‘dreamlike experience’ is employed all too often by music scribes, but it couldn’t be more apt for the sound that Maria explores and hones; not just within her own back catalogue, but via her morning Early Bird Show on NTS where she invites listeners to drift into a new day, coming to them live from Ireland’s wild West Coast.
“You’re exposed to things that you might never get a chance to hear through independent radio,” she implores, highlighting vital grassroots platforms like NTS and Dublin Digital Radio. “There’s no adverts, there’s nothing being forced onto you. It all comes from a place of love which is so important for music in this day and age. Listening to the radio is a different experience. It’s very private but also shared. The freedom the hosts have compared to commercial radio is great.”
This freedom sees Somerville traverse heady concepts like classic pop, ambient, field recordings, spoken-word and experimental, much of which can also be identified through her own music. The release of ‘Luster’ has added yet more strings to the artist’s creative bow, crafting a sonic world enveloped in a beautiful, haunting fog. Two modern classics with her first two attempts is no small feat. Maria Somerville has managed it in a way that preserves her roots, her integrity. She returned home, only older and wiser.
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‘Luster’ is out now.
Maria Somerville’s UK/European commenced in April and will culminate at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) on May 10th. For tickets and information head HERE.
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Words: Andrew Moore
Photo Credit: Cáit Fahey
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Into The Wild: Maria Somerville Interviewed – clashmusic.com
