Eoin Glackin is the latest Irish act to release a song that accidentally mimics the the current period of lockdown. With lyrics such as “A voice on the news said ‘We’re closing down the schools,’ some shrugged it off as fake, some went insane…” you could be forgiven for thinking that Before The Rain was a hastily assembled affair aiming to cash in on the current situation, but those similarities are purely accidental as Glackin had been road-testing the track for months prior to the emergence of the pandemic.

The Dubliner has spent the last several years opening for the likes of The Darkness, Joan Armatrading and Aslan; the latter took Glackin under their wing and on the road around Ireland the UK.

“They’ve allowed me get out in front of some amazing crowds,” says Glackin. “Those gigs, that I have been doing solo with my trusty one-man-band set up, have spurned me on to write more and more and hone my one-man show. It’s been a joy and I’m so grateful.”

“I’ve been recording with this one-man-band setup in mind. I play the drums with my feet, the guitar with my hands and sing with my mouth! I keep it simple. This song seemed to be asking for a little more though.” says Glackin, who invited esteemed Irish producer Karl Odlum to add bass and Michael MacLennan to lay down keys on the track. “and here we are, my first socially-distant-made record.”

Glackin’s one-man-band approach to his live show extended into the video for Before The Rain, which was shot on the Malahide Road just moments from Glackin’s home in Donnycarney.

“I was out for a walk with my partner and was commenting how eerily quiet the usually manic, main road was. I thought it would fit the story of the song and say something about the time we are in now,” he recalls.