Dublin artist Callum Orr shares his blissed-out indie rock single ‘Floorboards’ today, the final release before his debut album The Trials of Knowing is out on Friday, 12th July . Orr’s album launch show is at the Workman’s Cellar on 20th July , and tickets are available here .
The sunny sound of ‘Floorboards’ is deceptive; Orr explains that the track explores “the feeling of emptiness when all the things I find meaning in—friendship, family, reading, exercise, meditation—cease working, and I’m left pulling up the metaphorical floorboards looking for more meaning and finding nothing there.”
Orr writes blunt and confessional folk songs with a strong sense of melody and intricate guitar arrangement. He played Ireland Music Week in 2019 and released the EP Cathy & Places in 2020 to strong critical reception, as well as a sold out Unitarian Church launch . It’s a sentimental set of folk songs with a shared concept of the relation of place to memory.
The lead single from Orr’s debut album, ‘Crushing Machine’ , was praised by The Last Mixed Tape as “a great sign of what’s to come in the debut album” and described as “gut-wrenching” on Hot Press . ‘Crushing Machine’ and Orr’s latest release, ‘As Long As I Have Time’ , have enjoyed airplay on RTÉ Radio 1 , Red FM , iRadio , 98FM , Radio Nova , Dublin City FM , and numerous other stations across the country.
The Trials of Knowing , co-produced by Orr and Ailbhe Reddy , was recorded between Asta Kalapa studios in Wexford, Orr’s home in Dublin 7, and various other spaces in Dublin. The album follows Orr’s journey from the darkness of nihilism into the light of love and life’s innumerable joys—however fleeting that life may be.
Track Listing
- Prop
- Floorboards
- Crushing Machine
- Dust
- Homesick
- The One Who Does Everything Slow
- As Long As I Have Time
- Hello Marianne
- Keeping Faith
- God’s Breath
Album stream available upon request.
Callum Orr (@callvm.orr) • Instagram photos and videos
