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Susan O’Neill Releases New Duet with Mick Flannery ‘Truth Can Be Kind’

September 2, 2022

‘Truth Can Be Kind’ sees Susan O’Neill’s 2021 collaborator Mick Flannery come back into the fold, in another co-write between the two artists, they join forces again on a new duet track.  Although this track will feature on Susan’s forthcoming Solo EP ‘Now you See it’ due September 14th, both artists take a nod to the ‘In The Game’ album when talking about the track.

Susan says:

“This was another co-write and duet with Mick Flannery. I guess the theme is in a similar vein to our duet album. The protagonist struggling to deal with some harsh realities of an adulterous lover. They piece some of the story together, but request in the song to not hear the truth said out loud.”

Mick echoes this, “This song might well have fit the ‘In The Game’ storyline but we didn’t have it ready in time. Very glad it’s being released on Susan’s EP.”

The song has a raw soul-like swagger that showcases again the pair’s intimate, yet warring, vocal union, which has now become one of the favourite vocal pairings to come out of Ireland and beyond in many years. Reunited with In The Game’s producer Tony Buchen (Smashing Pumpkins, Courtney Barnett) for this song, working again between Los Angeles and Ireland’s west coast. Guest players on ‘Truth Can Be Kind’ include bass player Zach Dawes (Lana Del Ray, Sharon Van Etten), drummer Darren Weiss (T Bone Burnett, Elle King), and piano player and composer Jay Israelson.

‘In The Game’ saw the pair receive nominations for the Choice Music Prize Album of the Year, the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards’ Album of the Year and take home the Best Original Folk Track award for their song ‘Chain Reaction’. Susan was also shortlisted for the ‘Vanda and Young’ Award for her song ‘These are the Days’. The collaboration album ended up being the biggest selling Irish independent record for 2021.

Susan recently wrapped up an extensive tour of North America, which also included a handful of performances with Mick Flannery, and the duet album band in Los Angeles, and the main stages of The Calgary and Edmonton Folk Festivals in Canada.  The summer kicked off with another show with Phoebe Bridgers at Glasgow’s Barrowland, right before a hugely memorable performance at Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens. This past week Susan flew to the UK to open for the recently Grammy-nominated U.S roots queen Valerie June, (also a huge fan of the pair), before closing out the summer tour with Mick Flannery at Denmark’s Tønder festival this past weekend.

Susan will embark on her largest Irish headline tour in support of the EP, including festival appearances at The Electric Picnic, Clonakilty Guitar Festival, Imagine Arts Festival, Vantastival and Sligo Live Festival.  Also joining Mick Flannery for the 1-year anniversary shows of ‘In The Game’ in Cork and Limerick.  The Cork Opera House show sold-out in no time, and a second show has just been announced for Live at St. Luke’s on September 9th.  The pair’s last show for the foreseeable future will be at The Live at the Big Top series at the Milk Market in Limerick.  (Full list of shows below)

Stream ‘Truth Can Be Kind’ here:

Pre-save Susan O’Neill’s EP on Spotify: https://smarturl.it/nowyouseeit

Or Bandcamp: https://susanoneillmusic.bandcamp.com/album/now-you-see-it

Upcoming live shows /tickets for Susan O’Neill’s EP tour + Select shows w/ Mick Flannery

Sept 3-4 Electric Picnic, Stradbally

Sept 9 –  Live at St. Luke’s, Cork City *

Sept 10 – Cork Opera House, Cork City *SOLD OUT

Sept 11 – Clonakilty Guitar Festival, Clonakilty

Sept 15 – Cleere’s, Kilkenny

Sept 16 – Duncairn, Belfast

Sept 17 – Vantastival, Drogheda

Sep 30 –  Spirit Store, Dundalk

Oct 1 –    Live at the Big Top, The Milk Market, Limerick *

Oct 6 –    Whelan’s, Dublin

Oct 7 –     INEC, Killarney

Oct 8 –     glór, Ennis

Oct 13 –  Coughlan’s, Cork SOLD OUT

Oct 14 –  Róisín Dubh, Galway

Oct 23 –  Sligo Live Festival, Sligo

Oct 27th – Imagine Arts Festival, Waterford

*  w / Mick Flannery Featuring Songs off ‘In The Game’

www.susanoneill.ie

www.mickflannery.com

https://www.instagram.com/susanoneillmusic/

https://twitter.com/SoundsofSON

https://www.facebook.com/susanoneillmusic

 

 

 

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