Over the years, Ireland has produced some incredibly fine music, and it’s sometimes easy to forget just how good some of the bands have been. Indie-pop darlings The Cranberries, and pioneering shoegaze icons My Bloody Valentine are just two of the best to hail from The Emerald Isle, and of course whether you love them or hate them, when megastars U2 were really good, they were great. That then brings us to Ireland’s newest export, The Winter Passing. While they may not share much in common with the aforementioned bands (in terms of sound) they have the same hard-working ethos that of the above carried in their infancy.
The desire to get noticed over the last couple of years has clearly paid off for this young indie-rock band. They have had some high-profile support slots, were picked up by FITA Records in the UK, and 6131 stateside to release their debut album ‘A Different Space of Mind’. Despite announcing the album late in 2014, and after facing a few delays in the release – people have not forgotten about The Winter Passing, and have been waiting for this album with baited breath.
From the opening moments of ‘The Fever’, this delectable album sucks you in. It is sweet without ever being too saccharine, and raw without being too rough. The dual-vocal of siblings Kate and Rob Flynn, complement one another perfectly through ‘Penny Chain’. Then, when they apply a more sombre mood to their sound – a sullen, minor-key progression on ‘Nowhere Still’ makes them sound wise beyond their years. It is a far more accomplished affair than the previous releases by The Winter Passing. For every pop-infused key change and lush chorus, there is a darker side to the band – showing how much they have grown up, and set out to cover new ground.
However, ‘A Different Space of Mind’ is not completely without fault. At times some of the harmonies feel a little off-key (in the latter half of the album) and the vocals do become somewhat shrill when they reach a higher register. That’s not a slight to Kate Flynn’s voice, as she really pushes herself on ‘Grazed Knees’, but a slight tweak on the production front could have eliminated some of those minor flaws. That said, the unpolished nature of the album gives it quite an endearing quality. The inviting hook of lead single ‘Fruits of Gloom’ is as welcoming as it was a year ago when it was first aired, and the title track that closes the album is probably The Winter Passing’s finest track to date; acting as a summary of every catchy chorus and discordant riff that is littered through the album.
The beauty that lies in The Winter Passing’s debut, is that it will appeal to more than just a niche market of listeners. For a younger generation, there are likely to be comparisons made between the band and Adventures, or Tigers Jaw. However, for an older audience, ‘A Different Space of Mind’ provides a nostalgic trip down memory lane, pointing towards Rainer Maria, or Garrett Klahn’s pre-Texas Is The Reason outfit Copper.
It is safe to conclude that ‘A Different Space of Mind’ has been well worth the wait, and while not perfect, it certainly is one of the strongest debut album’s you are likely to hear this year. The song-writing prowess that The Winter Passing hold is what makes ‘A Different Space of Mind’ stand out, and will no doubt set them well on their way to even greater things.
GLEN BUSHELL