Rising Cork trio Rowan share their sophomore EP Everybody Talks, today via their new label home, LA’s Beverly Martel. This week they also shared their grittiest and the deepest single for last, “One Of These Days.” The new release comes with an equally moving black and white music video. Pounding drums hold the foundation as the bright treble of the band’s guitars build the song higher and higher, only to come down into a honey-soaked bridge, where frontman Dylan Howe’s vocals mix with sweeter guitar melodies. Right after, a guitar solo takes the wheel, and the song thumps on.
On the track, Howe says, “One Of These Days is a song about the desire for vengeance after a relationship breaks down. ‘One of these days I’ll get her back’ is sung from the perspective of revenge rather than longing. It’s ambiguity is tied in with the contrast of ‘Smile’ and ‘Cry’ in the chorus. The bittersweet emotions of anger and love are contrasted with imagery such as death and infancy and Robert Emmet’s love for Ireland, in which he faced the gallows for.”
On the video, he adds: “The video for “One Of These Days” is a snapshot of a grittier Ireland. Touching on addiction, substance abuse and dealing with one’s inner turmoil. One person’s normality is another person’s insanity. The video is a comment on how we perceive the outsiders of society, and how isolated they can be because of the collective view on them.”
The new single follows the previous release, “Nothing’s Gonna Change,” an addictive, shimmering indie anthem, laced with soaring melodies and call-and-response guitars. Accompanied by a new music video that shows the band playing live, there’s an intimacy and quirkiness to being invited into their practice space for a private show. The first single and title track, “Everybody Talks,” is also out now with a music video.
Born out of the early pandemic last year, when the three accomplished musicians were forced into a hiatus from session work, Rowan is fast becoming one of the most exciting new Irish acts around. With a wealth of songs written over the years, primarily by vocalist Dylan Howe in his bedroom, the first clutch of songs Rowan released were delicate, longing and beautiful.
Released in November last year, their debut EP No One Is Safe Here is a wistful collection of quiet serenity. Full of longing, escapism and a desire to be somewhere else, the songs were inspired by Dylan’s various struggles with mental health.
Of course, there were questions about whether Rowan should release music during a pandemic, especially with most established acts waiting for it all to blow over. “We figured doing anything was better than radio silence,” explains Fionn and he was right. People connected to the pained escapism their music offered, which seemed to speak to the current moment in time perfectly. They didn’t have expectations to suddenly become the biggest band in the world, “we just wanted to connect to people”.
Connecting with people is exactly what Rowan did. With a groundswell of support from the likes of Hot Press, Nialler & Golden Plec, the band have also amassed hundreds of thousands of streams off their own backs. Now, under new label home Beverly Martel, Rowan continues to establish themselves as an emotional force to be reckoned with. A debut album is already in the works, whilst Everybody Talks comes as their next bold, defiant offering. In celebration of the EP’s release, the band will perform a very special headline show at Dublin’s Button Factory on 23rd July. Tickets are available HERE.
