Driven Snow release ‘In Moonlight’ on 9 June 2023 via FIFA Records. The fourth song to date, ‘In Moonlight’ adds a new texture and dimension to the duo’s emerging catalogue. The jaunty, upbeat instrumentation, rhythms and vocals clash seamlessly with a sorry but familiar tale of a land where housing crisis threatens the life and spirit of its cities.
“It is about the difficulty of being a musician in the city,” vocalists Kieran and Emily explain. “The feeling that you have to sacrifice, beyond what’s reasonable, just to survive.”
The fledgling song grew out of a challenge, set by producer Tommy McLaughlin, to write something faster and louder than the rest of their tunes. And somehow it manages to be both melancholy and optimistic, searching and resolute, thoughtful and upbeat. Played live it gets a lasting reaction and is a perfect example of Driven Snow developing their sound while keeping to their strengths: making music that means something.”
Tired of forever being sounding boards for each other’s songs, Kieran and Emily worked away quietly on a collaborative musical venture for a number of years.
Little by little Driven Snow began to coalesce in the shape of a collection of songs that are at odds with, yet informed by, the duo’s collective musical outings (Kieran as a lynchpin of Delorentos and Emily as a vocalist with Republic of Loose and Stars On Fire). The pair decamped (with children, grandparents and all) to Donegal, taking their musical sketches up to Tommy McLaughlin’s Attica Studios (Villagers, SOAK, Pillow Queens) and encouraging them to grow into simple, gentle tunes with a big heart and a common soul.
At the beginning of 2022 Driven Snow was ready to take a step into the real world… Their opening salvos have offered a tantalising hint of the yearning curiosity in their songwriting via a mix of classic harmonies housed in uncluttered acoustic and electronic sounds. Influences include Neil Young, Beach House, Cat Power, Scandinavian TV shows and fireside beers. The realities of life as a musician in modern Ireland have never been more beautifully articulated.
For their new project Kieran and Emily have a simple aim: that Driven Snow will make music that they would listen to – music that means something.
‘In Moonlight’ is available on all major streaming platforms now.
