Conn Thornton Releases Cinematic EP ‘When Bethesda Lands They’ll Throw Us A Parade’ (Irish Indie Folk)
Growing up as classical pianist, playing Russian Romanticism and French Impressionism, it wasn’t until the world ground to halt in 2020 that Conn Thornton took the melodic language they forged in the classical world and melded it to more contemporary influences such as Talk Talk and Sufjan Stevens. This melding gave Conn a voice and musical vocabulary they used for exploration and expression. Over the course of the next 4 years Conn released several singles and 3 albums, most recently 2024’s ‘Meteorite Season’. An album that moved from delicate soul baring acoustic to trip-hop inspired beats and synths. Never one to idle, Conn now returns with a new body of work, the EP ‘When Bethesda Lands They’ll Throw Us a Parade’. Over the course of three songs Conn explores the theme of identity through the lens of cinema, with each track drawing inspiration from a different corner of the cinematic universe. When asked about the title Conn says, “It refers to the epilogue of Angels In America. It’s a beautiful piece, which is the ultimate celebration of identity. I find the monologue especially relevant as a celebration of queerness, which I find to be radically important in this current political climate where the existence of queer people is under constant scrutiny and threat.”
“Wondrous, sometimes inexplicable moments”
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Conn Thornton – When Bethesda Lands They’ll Throw Us A Parade (Spotify EP Link)
Conn Thornton – ‘Heaven, I’m In Heaven’ (Focus Track Spotify Link)
Normally the process of putting out a larger body of work might be daunting for an artist, however coming off the back of a three album run, an EP was an opportunity for Conn to circumvent the industry standard of a ‘singles model’ while also giving focus to the new work. When it came time to write lyrics, which primarily come first in the songwriting process for Conn, they decided to anchor these in films they held close to their heart; Opening Night, Lady Bird and Angels In America. After multiple drafts, it became clear that identity was the red thread that ran across the three songs, with each exploring a different facet.
“Conn’s has as much literacy as a romantic poet,
their music like 1970s piano ballads written by John Keats”
Yeo Magazine
The EP begins with ‘Opening Night’, a track written in the immediate period following the release of Conn’s third album. The track opens with some field recorded sounds of heavy rain which is then joined by some melancholy chords, instantly cinematic and imbued with emotion. Central to the sound of the song is Conn’s Telecaster, shimmering and beautiful as the tremolo lets chords ring out into the ether – this is juxtaposed by a vicious percussiveness from the instrument that adds a sense of disquiet. When writing, Conn allowed the instrumental to take precedence, eschewing the standard verse chorus verse approach allowing the music to find its own way. As such there is a natural ebb and flow, vocals give way to the recorded sounds of a murmuring crowd, while synths and guitars rise out of the sonic abyss only to fade away again. The track began life as canvas to experiment with electronic elements such as programmed drums and synth bass. However, as the music evolved these became the defining sound of the EP.
The cinematic inspiration here comes from John Cassavetes’ 1977 film Opening Night, a film about an actress named Myrtle Gordon who, upon exiting a theatre after a performance, sees a fan of hers struck down and killed by a car. Witnessing this causes Myrtle to unravel, while preparing for her play ‘The Second Woman’, causing her to question her own identity and existence. A chance encounter with the film shortly before the song was written proved to be an unknowing muse.
The first single to be taken from the EP, ‘The Ballad of McKinley Park’ was a song that felt like it had been waiting to be written as it seemed to come to Conn almost fully formed. It was written following a trip to Sacramento, the setting for Greta Gerwig’s film ‘Lady Bird’, from which the song takes its inspiration. Musically it leans into the sundrenched California sound of the 70’s while lyrically parallels Lady Bird’s disillusionment with her hometown and attempt to find her identity, against Conn’s love affair with Sacramento and the impact the film had in shaping their own identity. With this in mind, there are two narrative voices running in parallel, one speaking from experience and the other, a fictional character rooted half a world away. Like calling into an echoing tunnel with only the faintest bit of light visible on the other side.
The beauty of the song lies in Conn’s ability to build emotion through layering different instruments, often subtle sounds provide seismic emotional shifts. The quietly insistent drum loop gives the song it’s pulse, while cloud like reverb pads provide an ethereal underpinning for the lyrics, further imbued with poignancy as Conn intones, ‘The morning is yours to take, so the evening will conceal me”. Lap steel on the song comes courtesy of Belfast’s own Joel Harkin, also responsible for mastering the EP. Not since REM has a song benefited so much from a mandolin lead.
Third and final track ‘Heaven, I’m In Heaven’ was born of a quiet Sunday afternoon trip to Belfast’s iconic Sunflower bar, a pint of Beamish and lyrical inspiration from Tony Kushner’s play ‘Angels In America’. Conn
A shimmery synth percolates at the beginning of the track before drums and vocals join. The vocals for the song were recorded in one take, a raw and vulnerable delivery that flows naturally with the instrumentation, building in intensity along with the track. An emotional venting underpinned by Conn’s vitally important repurposed message. The song moves from verse to verse with the instrumentation acting as the hook for the chorus. Synth swells are punctuated by the ever-present Telecaster, adding a serrated edge to the more ethereal sounds. The EP ends as it began, with the recording of heavy pouring.
The EP was entirely recorded and mixed by Conn at their home. Working in isolation is an approach that Conn has become accustomed to, with the project coming to the fore during the pandemic, there was no access to rehearsal spaces or indeed other musicians. While initially daunting taking on responsibility for each element of the writing, production and release, Conn now sees this as a powerful position, as releases are a testament to work and perseverance each project requires.
The art for the EP and each single release was shot by Conn’s partner, using their SLR film camera. Experiments into figuring out the mechanics of the camera led to beautiful, hazy shots that mirrored the songs on the EP. Conn says, ‘All complimentary colour palettes, all vaguely decipherable imagery that fits into the project’s ethos’.
The vastness of sonic and emotional territory covered over the three songs is considerable. Given the narrative device for the lyrics on the EP it’s not surprising that the music has a cinematic quality to it, but the visuals conjured by the lyrics and music go far beyond any simple retelling. Emotional shifts are mirrored and enhanced by changes in instrumentation as the vocals become a direct line to anyone’s heart and soul, so pure is the outpouring it’s impossible not to be moved. The pairing of electronic elements against acoustic instruments colour the songs in ways that wouldn’t have been possible had Conn exclusively chosen one or other. The EP is a focused work that amalgamates three separate cinematic pieces into a cohesive whole. So much of Conn’s previous work is about connection and here they explore identity, but the EP and previous work become one and the same, shining light on a part of a larger picture which is yet to be fully illuminated. A bold and confident work from Conn Thornton, one of Belfast’s most exciting voices in production, songwriting and performance.