Villagers announce new album "That Golden Time" due May 10th 2024
After the band-centred sessions of its predecessor, That Golden Time’s solo-centric core was not forced on O’Brien by lockdown. “For me, That Golden Time has an internalised voice, so much so that I almost found it impossible to let anyone else in,” he says. “It’s probably the most vulnerable album I’ve made. I played and recorded everything in my apartment, and finally, towards the end, invited people in.” Invites went out to, among others, Irish legend Dónal Lunny [Planxty, The Bothy Band] on bouzouki, American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick on violin, and a group of players that O’Brien had first seen performing in a tribute to one of his great loves, Italian composer Ennio Morricone, who added soprano vocal, viola and cello.
The understated poetry within That Golden Time is effortlessly carried by gorgeous melodies and sublime instrumentation. In “No Drama”, as the narrator pleads for respite from the vicissitudes of life, O’Brien equates an orchestral swell with an appeal for quiet beauty and peace. “Behind That Curtain” is a rare moment of musical discombobulation as a solemn, soulful ballad hands over to a jazzy coda, “It’s the sound of deafening alarm bells inside your head,” remarks O’Brien. Exploring these themes further, there is also a secondary image of a coin on the artwork (an Irish twenty pence piece) to which O’Brien explains: “The types of physical currency change throughout time, but the essential power relationships and bartering principles persevere throughout the cosmetic changes.”
As the album comes to its conclusion with “Money On The Mind”, we find a moment of serenity with a ray of hope. The very last line, softly crooned, is “My money’s on the mind, truth be told,” a shout-out to the resilience of the human spirit. The moth might be disorientated, but it swerves the flame to live another day.
Alongside their previously announced largest ever headline show to date at Dublin’s Trinity College, Villagers will play London’s Royal Festival Hall in June.
Tracklisting:
1. Truly Alone
2. First Responder
3. I Want What I Don’t Need
4. You Lucky One
5. That Golden Time
6. Keepsake
7. Brother Hen
8. No Drama
9. Behind That Curtain
10. Money On The Mind
That Golden Time is available to pre-order on DomMart/Indies-exclusive gold vinyl, standard vinyl, CD and digitally. Pre-order: DomMart Digital
Upcoming live dates
- Monday 27th May - Ancienne Belgique, Belgium
- Tuesday 28th May – Paradiso, Amsterdam
- Wednesday 29th May - LantarenVenster, Rotterdam
- Thursday 30th May – Pop Seasons – Christianskirche, Hamburg
- Saturday 1st June – Passionskirche, Berlin
- Sunday 2nd June – Luxor, Cologne
- Monday 3rd June - La Maroquinerie, Paris
- Wednesday 5th June – Wylam Brewery, Newcastle
- Thursday 6th June – Irish Centre, Leeds
- Saturday 8th June – Royal Festival Hall, London
- Saturday 29th June – Trinity College, Dublin
Pre-sale from 23rd Jan 10am local, general on sale 25th Jan 10am local
