Galway band use lockdown to redefine sound with an edge
Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell
Bannered Mare has evolved significantly since the project began in 2018; back then, the act was the sole responsibility of frontman and principal songwriter Joseph Padfield who offered a delicate debut by way of a five-track, indie-folk EP Gizzards. The sound has grown richer and heavier since, aided by a growing importance placed on Joseph’s bandmates Dylan Murphy, Paul Higgins, Derek Ellard and Kyle Dee.
That change in style is evidenced by Bannered Mare’s latest offering. Due for release on June 25, Flutter is an anthemic rock track in the mould of Biffy Clyro or Queens of the Stone Age.
The Galway group describe it as a song about finding strength and staying focused – a concept that carries weight given the strangeness of the eighteen months that have passed since their last EP, Fear of Missing Out.
“The core feeling is still there from that previous release,” Joseph explains.
“We generally write for it to feel a certain way live. That’s the thing we look for. It’s definitely a more streamlined approach to it this time – it’s not quite as busy and I think it’s a little more mature.
“I wrote this song right after we finished recording the last EP so it’s been a long process trying to get everyone together to record it. We had booked into a studio when lockdown happened so we had to record in bursts guerrilla-style when we could.
“We did the drums in the Claremorris Town Hall Theatre. The guitars and bass we recorded in Croghery Studios in Galway, a small little studio back the way and the rest I recorded at home. We have a DIY approach to things and it keeps the cost down.”
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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