LP – Limited Edition 180g Black Vinyl.

Cult musician Paddy Hanna announces his forthcoming album Oylegate with the release of his new song Oylegate Station, out Wednesday, 29th January via Strange Brew Records.

After his fourth album, Imagine Im Hoping, arrived to critical acclaim but not the mainstream success needed for him to continue on as a musician, Hanna found himself at a personal and artistic low point. However, thanks to support from the Arts Council and the encouragement of his family, Oylegate Station sees Hanna returning as the intrepid captain of his own ship; he may not know the destination, but hell see us along the journey with his graceful pop sensibilities.

Speaking about the new track, Hannas cryptic explanation could be confused for a missive from a lonely cosmonaut: Low rent fuel, caffeine of all shapes, the midpoint of hope and despair, engine still running at Oylegate Station.

Elation and exhaustion. Love and terror. The weight of responsibility and the strange, disorienting beauty of watching life unfold before your eyes. OLYEGATE, the latest album from Paddy Hanna, is a journey through the euphoric highs and crushing lows of parenthood, delivered with his signature blend of melancholic wit and lush, off-kilter charm.

Determined to sidestep the usual sentimental trappings of writing about having a child, Hanna found an unlikely creative companion in grim Soviet-era cinema. As he wrote, films like Solaris flickered in the backgroundbleak, meditative landscapes that mirrored the depths of sleep deprivation and the existential wonder of bringing a new life into the world. This contrast of warmth and detachment, of intimate revelation and surreal detour, courses through the albums DNA.

Despite its moments of cold introspection, OLYEGATE is sonically rich and envelopingan effect captured in a single request to producer Daniel Fox: “sweet, sweet caramel.” Hanna wanted the music to feel like satin lining the listeners ears, wrapping them in warmth even when the themes tilt towards darkness.

True to form, OLYEGATE marks yet another creative leap for an artist who refuses to be boxed in. “One advantage of being an artists artist is that you never have to worry about being creatively different between albums. There’s real freedom in doing whatever you want and not being judged for it. And even if you are judged, who gives a shit?”

That spirit of fearless explorationof finding joy in the unknown, the absurd, and the deeply personaldefines OLYEGATE. An odyssey of tenderness and turbulence, its the sound of an artist embracing lifes messiest, most beautiful contradictions.

In celebration of Oylegate, which arrives on Friday, 11th April, Hanna plays Whelans on Thursday, 17th April. Tickets are 21.95 + fees and can be purchased here.

https://www.whelanslive.com/ticket/paddy-hanna/

Tracklist:

Side A
1. No Sleep For Life
2. Oylegate Station
3. Harry Dean
4. Thumbtack Thicky
5. Tuscon Arizona

Side B
1. Caterpillar Wine
2. Martha
3. Pure Imbalance
4. I Won’t Be Ignored