"Dreamy, brooding and ethereal with a DIY punk ethos... sonically haunting and otherworldly with dark fairy-land shimmer" ~ Amplify Music Magazine
Brooklyn-based artist Ronan Conroy presents his new single 'Double Helix', an atmospheric track featuring captivating vocals by Julie Dicterow of Oh Halo. Lush with dark reverie, this is the first taster of his forthcoming album 'The Slow Death of the LoveMyth', beautifully complemented by a captivating video created by NYC-based artist Hypnodoll.
While Conroy is best known for his folk-flavoured indie rock, on this new album, he reveals his post-punk alter-ego, soaked in dream wave and goth richness. Drawing on the darker side of goth classics, select tracks on this album are crowned with ethereal female vocals. Apart from Julie Dicterow, who was a catalyst for Ronan to embark on this particular path, this record also features vocalists Shannon Brown and Susan Hwang of Lusterlit, and stellar drums by Justin Wierbonski (a.k.a. Demonic Drums).
"Where some of my songwriting has been more situational or distilled as expressions of particular events - universal human experiences like heartbreak, disappointment, betrayal, but driven by a need to process or express a particular chapter of my life - LoveMyth goes a step further in giving voice to the deeper underlying darkest fears that maybe aren’t always expressed, that are there as archetypal tendencies throughout many or all of the chapters of our lives," says Ronan Conroy.
"Maybe it’s fear of vulnerability, or discomfort with how raw, irrational or unacceptable some of our base preconceptions or pessimistic expectations can seem, that make them tougher subjects to explore musically."
Growing up in Dublin, Ireland with four strongly opinionated brothers and musician parents (his father played guitar and mandolin and his mother played guitar and tin whistle), Conroy was exposed to an array of musical influences, ranging from new wave and post-punk to David Bowie, Johnny Cash, Elvis and Abba. His world changed at 15 when his mother loaned him her nylon string guitar and taught him a few chords, instantaneously unlocking a whole new world of songwriting.
Years later, he would release two albums with Brooklyn's The Listeners and go on to perform with gothic dreampop band Oh Halo on guitar and backing vocals from 2011 to 2014, during which time he released one album with them.
Since 2013, Conroy immersed himself in the 'Lovemyth' project, this work culminating in 'The Slow Death Of The LoveMyth' LP, a collection influenced by the 80s/90s goth bands he grew up listening to, as well as ethereal darkwave bands he would be introduced to later.
As with all the music Conroy has released since 2013, this record was produced, engineered and mastered by Charlie Nieland at Capture Sound Studios. Frontman of Her Vanished Grace and Lusterlit, and a recognized solo artist in his own right, Nieland is a well-respected engineer and producer, known for his work with Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainwright, Blondie and Scissors Sisters.
"Going deeper into my goth influences seemed to offer me a natural and more suitable sonic landscape for these topics, and channelling my love for seminal goth bands like The Cure, along with ethereal acts like Love Spirals Downwards, Autumn’s Grey Solace and All About Eve has been a special experience that I’ve laboured over for years. Each of the guest singers has elevated the project to new levels and surpassed even my own visions of how their voices could combine with the instrumentation," says Ronan Conroy.
As of August 30, 'Double Helix' will be available digitally via Spotify, Apple Music and all good digital music platforms. It will also be available as a single via Bandcamp or an instant-grat download there upon ordering the full album, which will be released on October 21.
CREDITS
Written by Ronan Conroy (ASCAP 3284024)
Ronan Conroy - lead and rhythm guitar on all tracks, and vocals on 'This Dream', 'Born in Conflict' and 'Dark Paradise'
Charlie Nieland - bass, syths, piano, drums, and backing guitar
Justin Wierbonski - drums
Julie Dicterow - vocals on 'Double Helix'
Shannon Brown - vocals on 'Passenger' and 'Nightland'
Susan Hwang - vocals on 'Love Myth' and 'Demon'
Publisher: Rip My Heart Out And Eat It Music (ASCAP 4499980)
Produced, engineered and mastered by Charlie Nieland at Capture Sound Studios, Brooklyn
Album cover and artist photos by Shannon Brown
Video by Hypnodoll
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