“A gifted singer and songwriter, LARAbEL is one of Ireland’s finest up and coming talents” – Moya Brennan
“Built around a delicate guitar melody and subtle ambient textures, the track unfolds with quiet grace, drawing the listener in through LARAbEL’s captivating vocal and a sense of restrained emotional power.” – Record of the Day, in response to Pigeon Song.
For fans of: Holly Humberstone, Sam Fender, Sinéad O’Connor
WESTCOAST – A Summer Anthem of Growth and Self-Awareness
‘WESTCOAST‘ is the third single from Donegal singer-songwriter LARAbEL, taken from her upcoming EP ‘Squiggle.’ A fun pop summer song, it captures the experience of being in a summer relationship and the self-discovery that comes with figuring out what you truly want in life during that time.
The lyrics explore what it looks like to search for that meaning in life, and learning that dragging someone else into one’s own inner turmoil and allowing them to worry about you is not healthy, and that sometimes you have to walk away to grow and put yourself first.
LARAbEL had this to say about the meaning of the song:
“In the darkness, it can be hard to see how you affect those around you. Sometimes, you get comfortable in the gloom and lose touch with yourself—losing touch with how you feel for others. It’s not a good time to get into an intimate relationship with someone, letting someone else down because of the lack of care for yourself.”
“Thinking that you can’t be loved by anyone else, that no one can handle the weight of your demons. Choosing the balloon—the meaning of life, the hopefulness—takes hard inward work, and WESTCOAST is about that feeling, contrasted with a light, fun pop song. Because that’s the manner in which you dealt with the heaviness: with a fun, carefree summer to distract you from yourself.”
WESTCOAST will transport you to a sunlit road trip along Ireland’s west coast—staring out the window, reflecting on life, and wondering what comes next. It’s a perfect fit for your summer playlist.
Hailing from the remote Gaeltacht region Gweedore, Co. Donegal, Ireland, LARAbEL is a singer-songwriter who moved to Dublin at 18 to pursue music, later earning a Songwriting degree from BIMM Dublin.
She began busking on Grafton Street in 2020 and has since performed at Glastonbury, Electric Picnic, and the 3Olympia Theatre. In 2024, she sold out her first headline show at Whelan’s and headlined Clubeo in Leo’s Tavern. LARAbEL has also supported artists including David Keenan, Glasshouse, and Róisín O.
The now 23 year old artist is ready for what’s next in her musical journey, and you can catch LARAbEL live this summer at All Together Now Festival, as well her own headline shows to be announced soon!
This new single, WESTCOAST, is taken from her debut EP ‘Squiggle‘, coming out August 8th. If you like the sound of WESTCOAST, be sure to check out LARAbEL’s previous two singles, ‘Playground’ & ‘Pigeon Song’—now available on all major streaming platforms at the following links:
Playground | Pigeon Song
Notable features for Playground & Pigeon Song: Spotify – ‘Fresh Finds UK & IE’, ‘peach’, ‘A Breath of Fresh Éire’, with 10,000+ streams between them so far; Featured/Added to playlists by Record of the Day, Hotpress, Genuine Irish, Goldenplec, The Thin Air, IMRO and more; Radio play nationwide.
Connect with LARAbEL