Irish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, James Vincent McMorrow, has announced a new single titled āThings we tell ourselvesā.
The track comes on the heels of his announcement of an extensive tour across the UK, EU, and North America, and is taken from his seventh full-length albumĀ Wide Open, Horses.
The new album was announced earlier this year and marks his first release on Nettwerk Music Group and is due out 14thĀ June.
James has beckoned listeners to open their minds and hearts since his emergence in 2010. Along the way, he gathered over 1 billion streams across an expansive catalog. Among many standouts, āHigher Loveā went BPI Gold in the UK and ARIA platinum in Australia. His cover of Chris Isaakās āWicked Gameā soundtracked the trailer for Season Six of HBOāsĀ Game of ThronesĀ and generated over 130 million Spotify streams on itsĀ Live At Killkenny Arts FestivalĀ version. Toppling charts, 2016āsĀ We MoveĀ notably debuted at #1 in Ireland. At the same time, he lent his voice to āHypeā from Drakeās multiplatinum blockbusterĀ Views, āIām In Loveā from KygoāsĀ Cloud Nine, and āRun Awayā from dvsnāsĀ Morning After, among others. 2022ās surprise albumĀ The Less I KnewĀ arrived to critical acclaim asĀ VarianceĀ attested,Ā āIt makes for the perfect listen in the midst of these complicated times, brimming with emotion and candidly confronting struggle while also looking to a brighter day.ā Meanwhile, heās sold-out tours on multiple continents, even packing the world-famous Sydney Opera House twice.
In 2023, he broughtĀ Wide Open, HorsesĀ to lifeāon stage. He booked two nights at The National Concert Hall in Dublin, recorded a handful of lo-fi demos, practiced the material for a week, and then hit the stage. Phones werenāt allowed, but James recorded it toĀ āsee what worked and what didnāt work.ā
āI literally performed the album before it was recorded,āĀ he smiles.Ā āThe whole point was to expose the flaws and also highlight the special little moments. It was an odd experiment, but it worked great. The notion is so simple, āWrite songs and perform them liveā. Without cameras, they were the best shows Iāve ever playedāwhich is interesting because no one knew the music! Everyone was just experiencing it though. I had friends in the lobby talking to strangers. Who talks to strangers anymore? It was lovely. It was a heartening experience for everyone involved.ā
Galvanized by this energy, he hit the studio and assembledĀ Wide Open, Horses. The new single āThings we tell ourselvesā ā the last to come ahead of his new record – doubles asĀ āa mantraā propelled by a hypnotic drum pattern. The cyclical, math-inflected instrumentation steadily builds as McMorrow repeats the lyrics āIāve been thinking about how much I miss you around / If you come back, Iāll never let you downā. The deceptively intricate single is one of the most hook-led tracks to come from the record and once again showās McMorrowās ability to take everything that has brought him to this point and consolidate it into something that is at once ruminative and anthemic.
HEAR / SHARE āTHINGS WE TELL OURSELVESāĀ HERE
Tracklisting:
1. Never gone
2. Look up!!!
3. No one get’s what they wanted
4. Stay cool
5. Wide open, horses
6. The day all the lights went out
7. Give up
8. The standard
9. Things we tell ourselves
10. White out
11. Darkest days of winter
12. Call me back
13. Meet me in the garden
āTo me, the album is about finding relief from the cycle of lifeās pressure,āĀ McMorrow continues.Ā āI donāt think the theory āmodernity equals betterā holds much water these days. The more technology we add, the more unhappy everyone seems to be. I donāt want to move backwards, but I felt a sense of nostalgia and happiness in the album. It would be grandiose of me to think I could offer you some profound release through words and lyrics, but maybe I canā¦The job is to make a record I love and hopefully offer a respite. Maybe we can all get back to a life where we arenāt so obsessed with trying to seek out meaning from absolutely everything.ā
In the end, James Vincent McMorrow simply sounds alive onĀ Wide Open, Horses.
āIām grateful to be here,āĀ he leaves off.Ā āThe whole process was rebuilding myself and my connection to music, who I am, and what I wanted to be when I was starting out at 20-years-old. I struggle like everyone else does, but Iām going to appreciate the fuck out of every moment I get now. When I play shows, I want them to be shows you talk about for years. Going through hardship, Iām back to a point where I can see myself very clearly in the music and I know what I can do.ā
Wide Open, HorsesĀ is out 14thĀ June via Nettwerk Music Group ā Pre-order/saveĀ HERE
Following the release of the record, James will takeĀ Wide Open, HorsesĀ back to the stage this summer with headline dates across the EU, UK, and North America, including a headline date at the Barbican Centre in London. Full dates are as follows:
EU / UK:
June 15 London, BarbicanĀ
June 17 Paris, Maroquinerie
June 19 Amsterdam, CarrĆ© theatreĀ
June 21 Berlin, Saalchen
Jul 01 Madrid, Noches Del BotĆ”nicoĀ
Aug 02 Waterford, All Together Now Festival , IrelandĀ
North America:
July 15: Los Angeles, CA ā El Rey Theatre
July 16: San Francisco, CA ā The Chapel
July 18: Portland, OR ā Aladdin Theater
July 19: Seattle, WA ā The Crocodile
July 20: Vancouver Folk Festival, BC
July 21: Sidney, Mary Winspear Centre, BC
July 23: Red Bird Brewery, Kelowna, BCĀ Ā
July 24:Ā Edmonton, Myer Horowitz TheatreĀ