Ciaran Lavery unveils new song 'Okkervill River' - premiere

Ciaran Lavery

Ciaran Lavery is back with another track from his upcoming album Let Bad In - "Okkervil River" - which features Ciaran's wonderful vocals rising above some expansive production, giving you a taster of what to expect from the new record.

What's great about Lavery is his determination not to be pigeonholed - while some of his contemporaries might feel obliged to stick to what they know, he incorporates influences from artists across the spectrum.

He describes Let Bad In as "10 songs based all around that nostalgic innocence of youth & now, older, how I look at things, what things I face in the future. It’s a very personal album".

Listen to the premiere for "Okkervil River" and let us know what you think:

Q&A with Ciaran Lavery

What have you been listening to recently?

Very recently I've been listening to a mixture of things. I went back to source out the Kanye West 'College Dropout' record because I remember it being very special on first listen & I wanted to see if it resonated with me today. I was pleasently surprised, it's such a great driving record.

I also heard the new Michael Kiwanuka single 'Black Man In A White World' and had it on repeat pretty solid for a few days on end. It's the first song that I've heard in quite a while that really knocked me off my feet. The video is also seriously good, check it if you haven't already. There's so many things about the song that I adore I'm not sure where to start.

What are your plans for summer 2016?

This summer I will be busy touring Let The Bad In and getting myself back into the studio for whatever is next.

What was the first gig you ever played, and what’s been the best so far?

The first gig I ever played was at a pretty rough round the edges bar in Warrenpoint over here in the north of Ireland. I remember at the time thinking it was a pretty good gig but then I saw some footage of the show a few years later & realised it was possibly the worst thing I've ever seen/heard. It was like watching 5 mannequins.

I possibly tried to supress the memory over time but it's firmly etched into my brain like a tattoo. Still, I guess you've got to start somewhere.

It's quite tough to narrow down the best show, I tend to take something from all of them. Some of the recent shows at the SXSW festival in Texas were pretty memorable & my first sold out show in Dublin last year was super cool. To be honest I've been quite lucky to have played some great venues & festivals across Europe, the UK & Ireland & I like to think that the best one will be the next one.

Does that sound as cheesy as it seems? Either way, it's true. Thinking like that keeps me grounded

Let Bad In is released via Believe Recordings on 27 May. Ciaran Lavery plays St Pancras Old Church in London on 27 May