A wordsmith if ever there was, Ciaran Lavery pays us another welcome visit with his latest EP ‘Another Night at the Self-Indulgence Hotel’.
Having cemented his position in the Irish songwriting hall of fame, sporting accolades such as the Northern Ireland Music Prize 2016 and streaming in the multi millions; Lavery’s latest project sees him operating in a more experimental space. With four contrasting tracks bringing the listener on a journey of self discovery, Lavery challenges the previously seen forlorn singer songwriter trope pushing new boundaries within the genre.
The release was produced by Chris W Ryan & Dan Byrne – McCullough and features contributions from some of our finest in Morgan McIntyre, Joshua Burnside, Tom Tabori, Zarah Fleming & Conor Caldwell.
‘Another Night at the Self-Indulgence hotel’ is a melodic stream of consciousness marrying the power of spontaneity with a song craft that only a seasoned writer can possess. Primary themes of helplessness, mental turmoil & dark humour neatly weave with themes of beauty, hope and contentment throughout this project.
Indeed, the latest single accompanying this EP ‘Kiss Me Where It Hurts’ is Lavery at his darkest. Opening with expansive strings and rhythmic beats, Lavery states ‘ the song exists as a series of admissions’ and aims to be ‘a matter of fact gift bound by a ribbon of Leonard Cohen latter day sultriness. It is unapologetic’. From a listener’s perspective, the song’s stunning resolve appears to resemble the raw beauty and vulnerability of our shared need for human connection committed to melody.
Throughout this project Lavery’s timeless vocals shine bright. Particularly in ‘A Confident Woman’ we see Lavery’s warm signature tone collide with the masterful production of Dan Byrne – Mccullough birthing an entire melodic universe in the space of 4 minutes and 17 seconds.
The introductory and concluding tracks ‘I Am Old Enough To Know What Love Is’ & ‘Communion’ serve as well placed contemplative bookends fulfilling their purpose of kicking off and winding down the dreamscape floating journey that is ‘Another Night at the Self-Indulgence Hotel’.
