I Draw Slow to Release New Self-Titled Album

No band more successfully bridges the gap between Ireland and Nashville than Americana band I Draw Slow. The Dublin-based group is gearing up to release their deeply personal new 10-track, self-titled album, I DRAW SLOW (out September 9) via Compass Records. The album's lead track "Bring Out Your Dead" is out today on all digital service providers.

"Bring Out Your Dead" is an arresting opener for the new album and a song that would not be out of place on Fleetwood Mac's album TUSK (if the Mac played trad Irish music), with vocal echos reminscent of The Mamas & The Papas thrown in for good measure. It's the perfect introduction to the band's music and gives the listener a hint of the diverse musical styles that inform the rest of the album's tracks.

Together with bandmates, Konrad Liddy (upright bass), Colin Derham (banjo), and Adrian Hart (fiddle), Louise Holden and Dave Holden explore a broader, and darker, musical palette on the new project, yielding unexpected and musically satisfying results. Their new approach and sound was very much informed by their experiences during the pandemic.

Independently they suffered the loss of loved ones to COVID and weathered the subsequent months of grief. When the band was finally able to reunite in 2021 in a farmyard studio in the Dublin mountains to record they found themselves and their music fundamentally changed. The traditional Irish and Appalachian influences that informed I Draw Slow's prior releases were augmented by a much wider range of influences, including sixties pop, cinematic soundscapes and the funereal jazz of New Orleans.

Ultimately, the trauma of the pandemic is what defines the band's eponymously titled new album. I DRAW SLOW captures a pivotal moment in a shared human tragedy and offers a stunning portrait of the beauty that I Draw Slow salvaged from their collective pain. "The new music represents tradition in the mixed up way that people live now," Louise shares, "With the stories we tell to stop ourselves from going crazy and the false memories we build ourselves upon."

With the release of their new album, I Draw Slow further cements their reputation as one of the most interesting groups on the Americana/roots scene. Coaxing the past into the present, they have created a very personal sonic tapestry that has drawn fans on both sides of the pond and earned them slots on some of the most important festival stages across North America including MerleFest, Edmonton Folk Festival, Rocky Grass and Wintergrass. With the expansive musical platform of their newest release as a launching point, the possibilities for where I Draw Slow's musical journey will take them next is limitless.

Listen to their single here: