whenyoung offer a glimmer of hope with new single The Prayer: First listen preview

whenyoung's new single The Prayer is a glimmer of light from the end of the tunnel we're going through in relation to coronavirus.

The Limerick trio of Aoife Power, Niall Burns and Andrew Flood are in the unique situation of self isolating together, and the Covid-19 outbreak has been a source of inspiration in their Ramsgate flat. Quarantine has prompted the band to make The Prayer, released tomorrow, Friday May 1.

Entirely written and recorded during lockdown, proceeds from The Prayer and the limited edition t-shirt the band are releasing will go to Women’s Aid UK and Ireland, who are working to end domestic abuse against women and children.

"Andrew and I moved to Ramsgate from London at the start of March. Niall came down for a week and then the lockdown was put in place so he decided to stay here rather than go back to London," Aoife told us.

"We wrote the song over two days, the music and lyrics just kind of poured out. We wanted to keep it simple and meditative. It was an attempt at creating some kind of sonic embrace, a feeling of hope and love."

The Prayer starts with a reactionary immediacy that captures how we're all feeling about the on-going pandemic. "Go to sleep, wake up in a new world", Aoife sings to open the track, the accompanying piano contextualising the lyrics with a stark poignancy. This tone is reinforced by Aoife's delicate vocals, reminiscent of Lana Del Rey, Dolores O'Riordan and Lykke Li. 

The stripped back nature of the song is a step away from the indie-rock of their debut album Reasons To Dream. If you're a fan of Wolf Alice, Pale Waves or Sea Girls, check that record out.

So what can we expect from album two?

"The way we write has evolved, there was definitely a conscious decision to write in a more comfortable way," Aoife explains. "We decided to write from home rather than write in a cold, grotty rehearsal studio, as we would had done before. It has led us to experiment more with electronic instrumentation as we've had certain constraints like not having a full drum kit at home. It's been really exciting for us and feels a lot more liberating.

"This year has been the first time in years that we have had a few months to focus solely on writing. We started writing in Doonbeg, Co.Clare, then recorded in a remote part of Wales and now we're in lockdown so it's been a quiet year of processing thoughts, healing and experimenting with new musical ideas."

While the start of The Prayer highlights the troubling sense of unknown in the world right now, the track ends with veiled optimism. "Thinking about you every day, praying that there's no more pain" conjures up images of wistful longing, but also on the plus side, hope. Something we all need to hold onto right now.

© IRMA