Ciaran Lavery: Let Bad In

Northern Irish singer/songwriter Ciaran Lavery has been building quite a career for himself, with a critically-acclaimed EP & debut album, a collaboration that led to a nomination for Best Album at the Northern Irish Music Prize, and various notable live performances, including stops at SXSW, over the course of two short years. But his sophomore album, Let Bad In, sounds like a sure-footed next step in his ascent up the mountain of musical artistry.

Taking lyrical inspiration from his own loss of innocence as youth drifts into manhood, and starting with a traditional singer/songwriter mode, Lavery seasons his tunes with a variety of other pop tricks, from melancholic orchestral string flourishes ("Tell Them All") to subtle hip-hop rhythms ("Blood Red Fist"). He even gives a shout-out to a favorite band on the track "Okkervil River." Reminiscent of similar pastoral singer/songwriters like Andy Shauf or the guys in Turin Brakes, Lavery builds his songs through the magic of quiet passion, transcending their seemingly simple bones into a full-fledged body of work.

-ERIC J. LAWRENCE

Tracklist:

1. Sonoma

2. Okkervil River

3. The Show

4. Return To Form

5. Tell Them All

6. Let Bad In

7. Blood Red Fist

8. Wilder

9. Failing Light

10. Train

Live shows:

23rd May Brussels, Huize 23 AB

24th May Hamburg, Prinzenbar

25th May Berlin, Badehause Szimpla

26th May Amsterdam, Bitterzoet

27th May London, St Pancras Old Church

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/let-bad-in/id1084716922