The Whileaways will release their fifth studio album When You Are Falling this Friday, September 25, and begin a nationwide tour at the Town Hall Theatre next Tuesday, September 29.
Comprising Galway trio Noriana Kennedy, Nicola Joyce and Noelie McDonnell the Whileaways’ new album was recorded at Black Mountain Studios in County Louth.
Its launch follows the release of a single of the same name last week which sees The Whileaways return to the pared-back, intimate sound that has long been at the heart of the band: three distinctive songwriting voices, intricately woven harmonies and an instinct for finding emotional weight in deceptively simple songs.
Written by Noriana, the song grew from an everyday moment at home. “It came while noodling on the guitar putting the kids to bed. Maybe starting as a lullaby, but as the song revealed itself it’s more about finding your own sleep. How the night time harbours the worries of the day – it's about sharing that load with someone.”
That idea, of carrying one another through uncertain moments ultimately became central not only to the song, but to the album itself. Across twelve new tracks, When You Are Falling explores love, loss, hope, connection and renewal, bringing together the individual songwriting voices of Kennedy, Joyce and McDonnell while retaining the rich, intricately woven harmonies that have become synonymous with The Whileaways.
As the band explains, the title has come to represent something much broader than the lullaby from which it began: “We’re all a bit older now, carrying the weight of different life experiences. We’ve been through the wars a bit and we all know what it feels like to have the rug pulled out from under us. But there’s a quiet reassurance in that title and in the music, a collective hope that when everything is in freefall, we will ultimately hold each other up.”
Produced by Alex Borwick, whose credits include Sam Fender, James Vincent McMorrow, Lankum and Martin Hayes, ‘When You Are Falling’ captures The Whileaways at their most understated and evocative. Classic electric guitar and sympathetic production leave space around the song, allowing its natural warmth and emotional depth to come to the fore. Borwick produced the forthcoming album, with veteran US music executive and producer Brian Brinkerhoff joining the project as Executive Producer.
Following the release of When You Are Falling, The Whileaways will take the new album on an extensive tour across Ireland and Britain this autumn, opening with a special seven-piece hometown album launch at Galway Town Hall Theatre on September 29, before dates in Kilkenny, Sligo, Dublin, Cork, Salisbury, London, Birmingham, Toddington, Derry, Belfast and Clonmel.
Tickets for September 29 show €28 plus fee at www.thewhileawaysmusic.com
