MANA is a duo consisting of Greg Clifford and Shane Byrne who are based between Dublin and Berlin. This July the band is set to release their much-anticipated debut single ‘Our Words’. Their sound is a synthesis of indie rock and post punk elements fused with guitar tones reminiscent of the late 70s and early 80s, while the lyrics allude to how polarized and cynical the world has become. According to lyricist Clifford, ‘people are bitter, undermined and fragmented in today’s society. Our songs embody communal disenchantment whilst also offering a sense of solace and solidarity. Melancholy imbues the work but hope exists too. In the words of Albert Camus a man devoid of hope and conscious of being so ceases to belong to the future’.
‘Our Words’ is a song about the convoluted nature of relationships, be it romantic, friend, family or professional, and how objectivity and receptivity can evaporate rapidly in the face of adversity. Lead guitarist Shane Byrne cites Ennio Morricone’s compositional work on Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns as being a major source of inspiration behind the song’s character and suspenseful style. Byrne reveals ‘there’s an anxious uncertainty in what may occur as the song unfolds, so capturing a dark energy and atmosphere was imperative. In addition to Morricone other sources of inspiration for the track include The Centurians and Two Wounded Birds’.
MANA’s debut single is accompanied by a music video filmed in Berlin and directed by Josip Gojevic. Clifford who edited the video states ‘we wished to capture a sense of promiscuity and hedonism that typifies the work of David Lynch in films such as Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me merged with Berlin’s liberal nightlife spirit’.
‘Our Words’ was engineered by Pete Holidai (Radiators From Space and Trouble Pilgrims) and Lucrezia Gnagni in Pilgrim Studios and Sun Studios Dublin, featuring Shay Sweeney on drums. Ian ‘Werkhouse’ Flynn mixed and mastered the song in London.
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MANA – Our Words: MANA – Our Words – YouTube