Dream pop duo PostLast announce their debut EP, Pull Me Into The Open Sea, (out Thursday, 24th October) and travel back in time to band member Julie Hough’s earliest memories on their wistful new single ‘Mizen’, today Thursday, 19th September via VETA Records. The song is inspired by a family holiday around Cork and Kerry, and the accompanying music video is filled with those same seascapes that mesmerised Julie all those years ago.
“I remember being in the back seat of the car listening to Christy Moore, learning about St. Brendan and his albatross, and thinking that places like ‘Crookhaven’ and ‘Barleycove’ had some magical history that I would uncover,” Julie recalls. “I was especially awestruck by the coastline at Mizen Head and fascinated by Fastnet Lighthouse. I think it was the first time I was ever overcome by a feeling of vastness, both in terms of time and the depth and danger of the sea. At some point on the trip, I won a little ring in a gumball machine. It had a blue plastic gem in it, and I convinced myself that it was a little piece of the light from Fastnet that I was taking home with me. Whenever I see a lighthouse, I’m brought right back to that feeling of awe and curiosity.”
Stephen McHale adds: “Julie’s vocal and lyrical approach to this song really conjures up a mood of nostalgia and wonder. In some ways the sounds are quite pretty and wistful, which ties in well with the themes of childhood and imagination, but at the same time some of the dissonant and chaotic elements that creep in around the bridge and last chorus are definitely well represented by lyrics reflecting on the awe and danger you could feel as a child, or even as an adult, peering out at Fastnet Lighthouse, surrounded by the wildness of the Atlantic Ocean.“
The music video was shot by Eileen Timmons (bearprintmedia.com) and Stephen McHale, and edited by Bjorn MacGiolla (bearprintmedia.com). ‘Mizen’ was produced by Stephen, mixed by Scott Halliday, and mastered by Matthew Harris of VETA Records. Julie and Stephen collaborated again with Neil Dorrington (Denise Chaila, Loah) on bass and Tommy Gray (BARQ, Zaska) on drums.
Julie and Stephen first connected while completing a joint headline tour of Ireland and the UK in 2017 with their respective bands HAVVK and BARQ. Over the past year, they’ve been writing in secret, preparing each element of their collaboration to be ready for public release in spring 2024. The result is a playful escape into their musical imaginations, utterly unlike either of their previous projects.
After a glittering start, the duo have plenty lined up for the coming months, so keep an eye on all things PostLast for all your alt-pop, new music needs.