Haunted Images is the singular vision of producer and songwriter David O’Farrell-McGeary. Under this guise David creates beautiful, ethereal alt-rock shoegaze. Juxtaposing modern alt-metal influences Deftones and Deafheaven, against the left field ambience of Aphex Twin and shoegaze mainstays My Bloody Valentine, gives David his signature sound. One that, in equal parts, shimmers like a graceful celestial body, while at the same time with the dense wall of sound production, cascades over you like wave. This is none more evident that on new single ‘Stay Awake’.
‘Ambient, catchy, emotional’
PureM Zine
Aptly, David writes a lot of his music in the small hours of the night, finding that these quieter moments of isolation allow him to access memory and emotion in a way that isn’t possible with the distractions of the day. ‘Stay Awake’ was written during one of these sessions. Living in a room in an apartment this isolation gave way to a lot of material, and songs that David says were ‘difficult but very honest songs’. Lyrically the song addresses the difficult subject of wanting to escape life by wanting to sleep forever, never to wake up. David pulls on his experiences of seeing loved ones feel like this, the weight of responsibility of another person’s life when you barely have control of your own life. When you have no idea how to save them, so you just make sure that they stay awake.
‘Eloquent lyrics and ethereal vocals’
Independent.ie
‘Stay Awake’ follows a number of singles released in 2024, as David builds towards a larger body of work. He is solely responsible for the production, mixing and mastering of the track. When it came time to add drums to the track he turned to Cian McCluskey and made the trip to Abbey Lane Studios Drogheda to capture the huge drum sound we here on the track. The production on the track is slick and massive, which helps bring a more contemporary feel to a genre that can rely on well worn troupes. For every decibel of fuzz on the track its matched with a razor-sharp melody or soaring guitar lead. The result is a sonic landscape that feels both dense and delicate. Haunted Images is an invitation to get lost in the music and in being lost find catharsis. An essential voice within Ireland’s music scene.