The Northern Irish indie-folk singer-songwriter Conchúr White brings us his debut album ‘Swirling Violets’, a highly immersive ambient lo-fi album.
Lyrically the songs are unquestionably intended to be deeply introspective, but married with the individual melodic styles that he’s delivered it allows you to drift along with each track, allowing the experience wash over you.
The opening track ‘The Holy Death’ sets the tone perfectly I feel with its ambient atmosphere slowly leading to a climax which could easily become a universal favourite of the album. The second track on the album ‘Righteous (Why Did I Feel Like That)’ would have to be a close contender as a personal favourite from the LP, as the synth additions give the song that electronica/lo-fi ambient theme that showcases some of the project’s over-arching sonic motifs.
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‘501s’ is a thought-provoking, beautifully written song, delivering a nostalgia-ridden narrative of growing up. Mid-album highlight ‘I Did Good Today’ delivers a slightly more light-hearted feel and is a fitting counterpart to the rather more weighty tracks.
The profound perception Clash is left with is that ‘Swirling Violets’ doesn’t feel like a debut album at all, with Conchúr White has gifted us a fully developed style and message.
The album doesn’t dilute after multiple playing: the initial enjoyment – if anything, increases. As he’s stated in previous interviews, a huge influence of Conchúr White is Father John Misty which you can really hear in this release. This takes nothing away from Conchúr – it’s more like he has taken the style of Father John Misty in another direction without losing the craftsmanship. A very personal album to its maker, ‘Swirling Violets’ is the work of a bold voice, and we can’t wait to hear more from him in the future.
8/10
Words: Jack Wilkie
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