Berlin based Irishman David Hedderman explores a calm nostalgia in his debut album ‘Pulling At The Briars’. Hedderman is an artist and musician with a heart for tracing the movement of his subjects to create complex and imbricated pieces of art. His music echoes his artistic method, having compiled fifteen years of life and musicality to shape a full-bodied, overlapping and idiosyncratic listening experience on his debut album.

Reflecting on a transitional period of moving to Berlin in the early 2000’s after completing a Fine Art degree in NCAD, Hedderman has collated half of his lifetime into an album of raucous soundscapes. The ten track diary searches for belonging through dynamic lyricism and instrumentation, cultivating a homely and resonant sound. Produced by Villagers’ Conor O’Brien and recorded live by Brendan Jenkinson in Sonic Studios, ‘Pulling At The Briars’ is a feat of melodic beauty.

Wistfully comforting violin, pedal steel, guitar and percussive additions encompass a collection of raw and emotive lyrics. The Rolling Wave marks the midpoint of the album, ruminating on a repeated ‘I had to try so hard just to let you down’, articulating the mercurial theme that runs throughout the album. David Tapley of Tandem Felix contributes on the pedal steel, while Peter Broderick, Corey Blair, and Aidan Gorman add their own unique flavours of musicianship, contributing to a uniquely rich piece of audible artistry.

Delving head first into the adult experience of seeking community in transience, ‘Pulling At The Briars’ is an immersive journey through time and humanity, bestowing a welcome catharsis to the oscillation of life. An emotive reflection, Hedderman’s debut album is part music and part art, untangling life in semblance with acceptance.