Irish pop-folk outfit CARRON, a band made up of singer and multi-instrumental sisters Méabh and Mella Carron, are speaking on the phone ahead of their long-awaited return to the stage.

“We missed performing to a live audience so much, it felt like a part of our identity was fading away” they explain, “There's literally nothing better, for a performer, than to play to a live audience and to connect with people you've never even met before through your music”.

“The best part about it” Méabh adds, “is getting to share that experience over and over again with your family onstage. It becomes this kind of ritual where it's muscle memory and you can speak to each other on stage in ways that you can't with anybody else in the world”.

Seven years on from the group’s origins (which have since added multi-instrumentalist Darragh McGrath to their ranks), and six since the band’s debut project Roots, the band has released their latest single ‘Lights Up’ and are about to perform a headline show at Dublin’s Workman's Club. Goldenplec caught up with the band ahead of the show to discuss the track, the show, and what to expect going forward

Q. How would you describe the sonics of 'Lights Up' and what inspired the track?

When we wrote 'Lights Up', we leaned heavily on influences from LYRA and Florence & The Machine and then Richey came along and sprinkled it with repeated melodic hooks and layers of vocals that created tension and emotion.

After day one in the studio, we were stuck on one little section, and he asked us to go listen to Robyn, and that's when we knew exactly what the song needed and decided that it has to be our big summer banger because it's bright and it feels like we're out of darkness. Sonically the song comes from a place of darkness and moves into a big bright chorus with lots of hope ahead. 

Q. What can listeners take from 'Lights Up' about the future of Carron and where the band are heading sonically? 

I think sonically, the song is different from anything we've released before. It's bigger and bolder than the first EP we released, Roots. It reveals to the listeners that we're not afraid to try new things while also staying true to who we are at the same time. When we perform live, we include the earlier collections because they tell a story of how we got to here.

Before 'Lights Up' we released a series of remixes of our original acoustic folk music, and that was a bit scary at first, but it was received well by our fans, so we felt safe with the knowledge that we could keep evolving and still stay true to CARRON. We're never going to stop trying new things, but I think we've realised by going down the electro-pop route for a while, that maybe we will try to get back to a more organic sound. 

Q. You're headlining Workman's next month, how does it feel to be back performing your own shows after such an absence?

It honestly feels amazing. We missed performing to a live audience so much during the pandemic. It felt like a part of our identity was fading away. We just kept writing all these weird songs about the pandemic and the lockdowns that we probably won't release as whole pieces, but they gave us the groundwork for the music we're releasing now.

There's literally nothing better, for a performer, than to play to a live audience and to connect with people you've never even met before through your music. The best part about it is getting to share that experience over and over again with your family onstage. It becomes this kind of ritual where it's muscle memory and you can speak to each other on stage in ways that you can't with anybody else in the world. 

Q. How important has Carron been for your relationship as sisters, and staying so close regardless of age and time?

Well we're best friends for a start! We see each other at least once every single day, even though we don't live together. Some people might think that's unique, but for us, it's normal. I guess the band keeps us close in a way. We love our music so much and we've put so much time and energy into it over since we started, so we have to stay really close to each other otherwise the band doesn't work. But it's not only that, we love each other too.

We're also just like any other siblings; we fight, we get jealous, we steal each other's things, we make our parents sad, we makeup, we make our parents happy, and we do it all over again. The difference between us is that we create songs out of these experiences together. Most of our songs are about things that have happened to both of us together. 

Q. What can listeners expect from the band for the remainder of the year? Is there an EP on the way? 

We have another single coming out in October, which we're looking forward to seeing how fans will react to because it is a little bolder than what we've offered before. Then, we also may or may not be working on a Christmas single....but that's a secret just for your readers.

Tickets for CARRON's show at The Workman's Cellar on 23rd September are on sale now