Declan O’Rourke – unveils new single ‘For Free’

Acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter Declan O’Rourke returns with For Free, the second single to be released from his forthcoming eighth studio album Oceanic, due for release on the 16th October. Following lead single Echo, the new release is a love letter to family and a reflection on the importance of expressing that love while we still can.

Beginning as a song for his mother, O’Rourke says he soon realised “it rings true for everyone in my gang”, and that although the simplest words can be the hardest to say, it’s important to make the effort to show those you love how much you care.

“We all know the day will come, and we’ll lose the ones we love the most. Or maybe they’ll lose us! So you wanna make dead sure they each know exactly how you feel about them.”

The video to accompany For Free includes members of Declan’s own family, and was shot at locations between Dublin and Fremantle, Australia. Directed and edited by Wolff, the beautifully understated video captures everyday moments of family life, celebrating the joy found simply by being in one another’s company.

For Free is the second single to be released from Oceanic, recorded in Sydney with longtime friend and collaborator Jim Moginie (Midnight Oil) as co-producer. The album marks a profound full-circle moment in O’Rourke’s life and career, returning to Australia, where he first began recording songs as a teenager, and reflects a life lived across two continents and hemispheres.

Speaking on the album, O’Rourke explains:

“Oceanic somehow wrote, and then made itself too.

I’ve always felt that being an artist is a process of stripping away layers of yourself to get to the core. If that’s true, then Oceanic is a collection of dreams that have surfaced on their own, from among the deepest of my own layers.”

 Oceanic will be released on 16 October ahead of a nationwide Irish tour this autumn. For more information and tickets, visit: www.declanorourke.com