Fresh from a string of prestigious live support slots with Lisa Hannigan, Villagers, Gemma Hayes, and Ailbhe Reddy Cork’s How I Became A Wave returns today, Tuesday 30th September, with a new single – ‘Fading Out’.
Led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Pat Carey, and comprising a collective of Ireland’s finest session musicians, How I Became A Wave is one of the most compelling musical projects emerging from Ireland right now.
Recent live shows at Cork’s Sounds From A Safe Harbour and Dublin’s National Concert Hall have seen ‘Fading Out’ quickly become a fan favourite – with Carey’s distinctive voice mimicking a reed instrument as it rises to the song’s powerful summit.
Arranged for strings by RTÉ Concert Orchestra conductor Cormac McCarthy and produced by Carey and Brian Casey at Wavefield Studios in West Cork, ‘Fading Out’ drifts in softly, then blooms into a sweeping, cinematic crescendo.
The track is accompanied by an official music video starring rising Irish actor Éanna Grogan, whose spellbinding performance mirrors the song’s themes of fragility, memory and release, bringing an added layer of depth and emotion to Carey’s work.
Pat Carey says: “I wrote the song a little while ago, but I find it amazing how songs and work can grow, can change meaning and relevancy, even for the songwriter, over time. While originally inspired by Max Porter’s Grief Is A Thing With Feathers, I think the song is an exploration of the boundaries between owning uncomfortable feelings, and being owned by them, and that sense of fluidity in the in-between stage.
“In particular, collaborating with Éanna and Bearfoot Productions on the video, and seeing how they interact with and interpret the song has brought a whole new level of meaning to the work for me.”
Drawing inspiration from literature, poetry and the natural world, How I Became A Wave crafts songs of striking beauty – meditations on grief, resilience and the quiet grace required to meet life’s challenges. There is an honesty and compassion at the heart of this project that runs through every note, with a collective approach to live shows that mirrors its ethos of connection and care.
‘Fading Out’ is the follow-up single to May’s ‘Cycles’ – a single that saw How I Became A Wave draw strong attention from radio, press and music tastemakers across the country and beyond.
HOW I BECAME A WAVE – UPCOMING LIVE SHOWS
October 18th – Cork, Ireland | Cyprus Avenue (supporting Gemma Hayes) – Tickets
November 7th – Limerick, Ireland | (supporting Gemma Hayes) – Tickets
Fading Out artwork – Megan Clancy