‘Thousand Yard Stare’ is the debut solo-album from Irish indie artist Conor Miley. Available on all streaming platforms 29/09/23.
Across 11 complex and emotional songs Thousand Yard Stare explores themes of love, loss, heartbreak, hope and life as a single parent in Ireland in the 21st century, drawing influences from indie, folk, electronic, gospel and much more.
The album arrives after three well received singles (‘Father’s Day’, ‘Thousand Yard Stare’ and ‘Lost Honeybee’) were released over the course of 2023. Each single was accompanied by striking and much lauded videos directed by Michael-David McKernan.
The production on the album is epic in scale. With blueprints written on either the guitar or piano, Conor set about turning his house into an impromptu recording studio during the lockdown and painstakingly developed and arranged each song.
Listening to the record, and in particular the gospel-tinged title track, you can understand the enormity of the project for the solo artist. Miley played and sung all parts with the album being recorded over the course of a year.
He then wrote and arranged the string, brass and drum parts which were later recorded by Christian Best (Mick Flannery) in Monique Studios in Cork.
Over one hundred friends and family contributed through WhatsApp voice notes to a line on ‘Slowly, I Return’, the opening track.
A voice note recording of Conor’s son as a baby in addition to a recording of him as a 2 year old issue in the final song, Paean, and the album concludes with a distant conversation between father and son.
Well-honed and perfectly seasoned, Thousand Yard Stare is one of those rare debuts that come along every once in while that demand attention. It is an emotive collection of songs delivered with fervorous craftsmanship.
“Thousand Yard Stare is an album borne out of a personal crisis. Written in a short period of time following the breakup of a romantic relationship, after which news came that I was to be a father, I threw myself into every line, chord, note and rhythm.” – Conor Miley
Forthcoming live shows:
30/09/23 Hole in the Wall Kilkenny
13/10/23 Smiddy’s Mullingar
14/10/23 The Secret Garden Cafe Galway
27/10/23 John Lee’s Bar and Venue Tullamore
29/10/23 Bello Bar (Physical Album Launch) Dublin
02/11/23 Fred Zeppelin’s Cork
10/11/23 Toales Dundalk
11/11/23 The American Bar Belfast
16/11/23 Frank’s Place Wexford Town
17/11/23 The Bear Cave, Hungry Bear Cafe Gorey
08/12/23 Bennigans Jazz Club Derry
09/12/23 The Clock Tavern Westport
Biography:
Conor Miley is a Wexford based songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer hailing from Dublin. His music draws from the well of folk, indie and electronica in expansive and intricate arrangements that deliver an emotive punch, while his lyrics explore the range of human emotions and experience in an original and dynamic way that has been described as “amazing”.
Having grown up learning classical music, Miley studied jazz in his formative years before embarking on a career involving multiple bands and session work. His original project, We Raise Bears, released a well-received debut EP in 2016, which gained airplay across BBC Radio, RTE Radio 1, 2FM and TXFM, as well as on Irish and UK regional stations.
Miley headlined venues around the country and appeared at festivals that included Ireland Music Week, All Together Now, Other Voices, Electric Picnic, Vantastival and Ones to Watch. Following the breakup of this band, he discovered that he was to be a father a month after a relationship ended.
Mired in a personal crisis, Miley threw himself into writing and recording his debut solo album, Thousand Yard Stare, which was released on 29 th September 2023. Recorded in houses and mobile homes around Dublin, Kerry and Roscommon, he played, wrote and recorded all parts while orchestrating the strings, drums and brass which were recorded with Christian Best (Mick Flannery) in Cork. Across 11 songs the album explores themes of love, loss, heartbreak, hope and life as a single father in Ireland in the 21st century.
The first single, ‘Father’s Day’ was released on 25th January 2023, premiering in Hotpress and garnering press in the Sunday Independent, Sunday Business Post, rte.ie and Golden Plec. The follow-up single, ‘Thousand Yard Stare’, premiered on Nialler9, earning rave reviews and extensive coverage across many Irish and international blogs and outlets including Hotpress, The Last Mixed Tape, Chordblossom, Iggy Magazine, The Wild is Calling and Naga Magazine. It was playlisted on RTE Radio 1 and championed by Ciara King of ‘The Late Date’. Third single, ‘Lost Honeybee’, was released on September 15th.
To coincide with these releases Miley will tour the material nationally, having announced dates all over Ireland for the last three months of the year.
