Check out the latest single from The Sleeping Souls. ‘Weathering the Storm’ is a song of resilience and facing up to challenges, in relation to both personal trials and, more broadly, adversity and conflict in the wider world over which we have little control. The band explain: “‘Weathering The Storm’ is about being caught up in a situation that is completely out of your control. And trying to navigate your way through as best you can. It was written around the time Russia threatened to nuke Ireland and the UK. They had an animation that they showed on Russian TV of it being dropped off the coast of Donegal and obliterating everything — all of this just after I had moved there, of course! The stress of possible nuclear fallout coupled with some personal family struggles at the time helped me imagine an escape to a nearby island where I could survive the fallout.”
Beginning with a gentle strum, the song steadily builds, becoming increasingly forceful before culminating in the repetition of the line: “I will survive the fallout with you,” making it clear that we make it through difficult times by supporting one another and with the help of those we love. It’s a powerful theme, matched by the song’s energy and the apocalyptic images in the accompanying video.
This is the latest single from ‘Just Before The World Starts Burning’, the band’s debut album, due out on 24th November 2023. To promote the album, The Sleeping Souls will be hitting the road on their first headline tour in January – get your tickets here. These will be their first shows without Frank Turner, with whom they’ve toured for over a decade, making six studio albums with him along the way. The band are comprised of Tarrant Anderson (bass), Matt Nasir (piano), Callum Green (drums), Ben Lloyd (guitar) and they’re joined on the record by Cahir O’Doherty, who has filled in for Turner on the guitar in the past.
O’Doherty describes the writing process for the new record: “It’s been a very collaborative experience with everyone bringing ideas and throwing them into the mixing pot. Lyrically the album touches on a few different subjects – lost love, frustration, escapism and obsession – but at its core it’s about my relationship with my family. The process of writing and recording this album has been cathartic and helped me survive.” Enjoy – it’s stirring stuff.
