Orla Gartland Releases Sophomore Studio Album 'Everybody Needs A Hero'

Multi-hyphenate independent artist Orla Gartland releases her sophomore studio album, Everybody Needs A Hero, out everywhere now via New Friends.

Everybody Needs A Hero tracks the journey of self-discovery and establishing independence within the confines of a long-term relationship. Often a struggle, and one that may remain internalized, Gartland voices all these intimate intricacies and more detailing the inescapable collective and individual compromises. By embracing the positives and bluntly sharing the struggles we all endure,  her vulnerability and self-awareness is sure to deeply resonate and foster a connection with listeners. 

Previously-released singles such as “Little Chaos,” “The Hit,” and “Late to the Party (feat. Declan McKenna)” proved to listeners that Everybody Needs A Hero is truly the loudest she has been, sonically and lyrically, as she steps into newfound independence. These songs, along with the rest of the album, mix brutal honesty with tongue-in-cheek humor that sometimes acts as a defense mechanism for when things start to get a little too real. 

The whiplash-inducing bassline on “Three Words Away” and the drum-heavy track 2 “SOUND OF LETTING GO” stand out on the album as bold, high-energy anthems. Meanwhile, tracks such as the vulnerable, stripped-back “Simple” and “Mine,” featuring a haunting strings arrangement, are more mellow yet pack an impactful lyrical punch. Title track and album closer, “Everybody Needs A Hero,” ends the record on a humble note as Gartland, backed by soaring guitars, admits that despite her confidence and independence, she could use some help. 

“This record is about one relationship and detailing the multitude of feelings I had about that person all at once,” she shares.  “One feeling doesn't cancel another out but instead they co-exist; that has been my experience.”

Written over the course of a year – Everybody Needs A Hero – sees Gartland reunite with frequent collaborator Tom Stafford who crafted Woman On The Internet with her during the pandemic as well as Peter Miles, who took the reins on last year's FIZZ debut The Secret To Life. Using a variety of both analogue and digital recording techniques with ideas born in Orla's London studio and realized down at Miles' creative sanctuary Middle Farm Studios in Devon, Everybody Needs A Hero is direct and feels bigger than the sum of its parts.

In just a few weeks, Gartland will embark on her first ever headline tour of North America in support of Everybody Needs A Hero. The thirteen-date tour sold out every stop and resulted in additional venue upgrades shortly after on-sale, proving that Gartland is a rising force. She will be bringing her high-energy live shows across the US and Canada, including legendary venues such as New York City's Bowery Ballroom and The Troubadour in Los Angeles. A full list of dates can be found below.

Orla Gartland 2024 Tour Dates 

Thursday, November 7th - Arts at the Armory - Somerville, MA - VENUE UPGRADE 

Friday, November 8th - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY - SOLD OUT

Saturday, November 9th - Atlantis - Washington, DC - SOLD OUT

Monday, November 11th - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA - SOLD OUT

Wednesday, November 13th - Bar Le Ritz - Montreal, QC - SOLD OUT

Friday, November 15th - Longboat - Toronto, ON - SOLD OUT + VENUE UPGRADE

Saturday, November 16th - Third Man Records - Detroit, MI - SOLD OUT

Sunday, November 17th - Sleeping Village - Chicago, IL - SOLD OUT

Thursday, November 21st - Polaris Hall - Portland, OR - SOLD OUT

Friday, November 22nd - Fox Cabaret - Vancouver, BC -  SOLD OUT

Saturday, November 23rd - Barboza - Seattle, WA - SOLD OUT

Monday, November 25th - Rickshaw Stop - San Francisco, CA - SOLD OUT

Tuesday, November 26th - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA - SOLD OUT

About Orla Gartland

Bold, brash and increasingly self-assured, Dublin-born, London-based artist and producer Orla Gartland ushers in a new chapter with Everybody Needs A Hero; a testament to her artistic growth, burgeoning confidence and fastidious sense of independence that has received early praise from The New York Times, Billboard, and more. From career streams nudging towards a quarter of a billion, sold-out tours and festival appearances at Glastonbury and Latitude; to her Top 10 critically acclaimed self-released debut album Woman On The Internet; taking in a huge viral hit ‘Why Am I Like This,' (700 million views and nearly 400,000 TikTok creations, and counting); and through to last year joining musical forces with longtime friends dodie, Greta Isaac and Martin Luke Brown to release The Secret To Life as new band FIZZ.

Amassing a dedicated fan-base and creative community including her notable 'Secret Demo Club', Orla has forged an even deeper relationship with her fans as she unveils her work-in-progress tracks, some of which have gone on to feature on the upcoming second record. Her brutal honesty and pragmatic realism have always been present in her songwriting but become even more prominent when paired with the louder, more angular alternative sound Orla has embraced this time around.

Orla's debut album Woman On The Internet charted in the top 10 of the UK Official Charts, at #3 in the Irish Album Charts and was nominated for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year 2021. The culmination of many years honing her songwriting and production skills, the record was praised by the likes of The Observer (“This beautifully crafted debut spans pop-punk to indie rock, with knife-sharp lyrics all the way”), NME (“a hard-won celebration of perseverance and artistic freedom”) and many more.

Photo Credit: Finnegan Travers

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