Alternative new-wave artist Christian Cohle has released new single ‘Living With Lucy’ – a wistful yet euphoric reflection on a love that still lingers.
The single comes with the announcement of his third album, Queen of Ashes, arriving on October 16th, with an album launch show at Whelan’s Dublin on November 13th (tickets available here).
The music video for ‘Living With Lucy’, directed by Tristan Heanue, will be released on June 11th.
Described as one of Ireland’s best kept secrets (The Line of Best Fit), Christian Cohle has emerged as an artist with a distinctly accomplished sound, marked by an intensely immersive and raw quality.
Sitting at the intersection of music and visual art, his work carries a cinematic and ambient flair, often grounded by the strength of his vocals. Peppered with influences such as LCD Soundsystem, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Talk Talk, Tears for Fears and Roxy Music, his lyrics hang partially obscured in dreamlike and poetic imagery, offering a sense of ambiguity that invites a deep, visceral connection.
‘Living With Lucy’ follows in the vein of Cohle’s confessional, kinetic post-wave tension, reading as both a person and a state of being. With a warm, summery undercurrent, the track draws comparisons to Future Islands and the sun-drenched sound of The War on Drugs; euphoric, groove-led and propelled by physical, frontman-led vocals. Built for long summer drives beneath pink pastel skies, it features Alex Reeves (Elbow) on live drums and builds around soaring analogue Yamaha DX7 pads, upright piano, and bass guitar working in tandem to drive the arrangement forward.
In the spirit of ‘Hey Ya!’ by Outkast, the song pairs an immediate, uplifting energy with a hidden emotional core; something that reveals itself more with each listen. Drawing on modern detail and cinematic, mythic, Irish-leaning imagery, the track hints at a world where intimacy, memory, and time begin to blur.
Lyrically, the track is anchored by a strong, melodic chorus, supported by light, jangling acoustic guitars:
“Will it still be you / When this year is through?”
“Will I still hold on / When this decade’s gone?”
‘The slow rush came’ hints at something shifting beneath it all, while storm-soaked imagery, flooded roads, grey skies, ‘Storm Éowyn’ and a ‘field of whitethorns’ gives it a distinct Irish/UK sense of place without cliché.
With his highly anticipated third album, Queen of Ashes, set for release on October 16th, ‘Living With Lucy’ opens Cohle’s most raw, assured era yet.