Stout Talk Release Much Anticipated Debut Single (Irish Indie) – Out Now
Stout Talk wear their hearts (and art work) on their sleeves with the release of their debut single ‘Afraid of the Sea’. A three and a half minute slice of indie rock perfection, littered with more hooks than the fishing boats that navigate the wide open waters they use as metaphor in the track.
‘Afraid of the Sea’ was born after lead guitarist Cormac Flanagan escaped on a solo fishing trip to Donegal. Overcome and burnt out by the stresses of day-to-day life, the trip served as the perfect opportunity to let go of these impinging elements. Cormac found catharsis by pouring his stresses into a melancholic pop chord progression, influenced by his current state of mind and surroundings in Teelin Bay. Upon his return the track was presented to the band; Pody Muldoon on bass, Ciaran McManus on guitar and Lee Milligan on drums, to take their hammers to the iron and forge it into something which was entirely their own. Vocalist, Cahir Turbett, was able to extrapolate meaning from Cormac’s melancholy chords, giving voice to it by writing about the fear of commitment from a partner, the anxiety and pressure of taking a relationship forward and trying to communicate that you feel differently to your partner.
This is all wrapped up in a three and a half minute indie rock song that owes as much to mid west emo as it does to post punk or New York indie darlings, The Stokes. Strummed acoustic chords give way to a fuzzed out lead guitar line that pulls you in hook, line and sinker. Harmony backing vocals weave their way through the verses against a back drop of guitars dripping in watery chorus sounds that are reminiscent of 80’s Cure. The rhythm section of Pody and Lee give all this steady ground to sit upon, adding drive and punch when needed. When the song breaks around the two minute, it feels like waves lapping against the shore until a wailing guitar solo comes crashing in. The guitar and vocals ape each other’s melody to carry us to the end, with the question posed and forever unanswered.
The track was recorded, mixed and produced by Jonny Woods in his 1980 Something Studios. It was a collaborative effort in the studio with the band and Jonny crafting the song into it’s final form. Up until the band entered the studio the track would often take on different structures live, as the band gave into some of its improvisational leanings. It was in the studio that the track was cut down and focused on the various melodies and hooks that up the track now. The track was mastered by Jon Moorehead at Moosetronix, bringing his considerable talents to round off production.
Art work for the single comes from a photo of Teelin Bay, that was the birth place for the track during Cormac’s trip to Donegal. Cormac took this image to his tattoo artist who worked into it the art that will forever adorn Cormac’s arm. This became the art work for the single, making it all the more personal and a mark of what the band has achieved together so far. The video was spliced together by Colm Teague using footage taken from various shows, rehearsals and in studio footage that helps celebrate the band, the track and highlights some of the people who have supported the band from the very beginning.
While the track touches upon the relationship between two people confronting a fork in the road for that relationship. It’s the relationship between the band, the place, the people around them and the people who helped make the track that are at the heart of this release. Hidden behind ear worms of guitar lines and hooky choruses we can find melancholy and catharsis but the question will beg forever ‘are you afraid of the sea?’
Stout Talk play Ulster Sports Club October 25th to launch their new single, support from Foreign Mornings and Disorder