“Apart from Bell X1 and The Frames, who are the bedrock of Irish indie, singer/songwriter type stuff, none of the bands that started around the same time as us are around. I can’t think of one, not a single one.”
Delorentos, stalwarts of the Irish music scene, celebrate 13 years as a band this year with their fifth studio album ‘True Surrender’, which they have labelled their most open and intimate offering to date. It’s been a long journey, with children, marriages and a scrapped studio session in Spain all leading them to this point.
The first thing that strikes you when interviewing Delorentos is that, despite those 13 years together, despite the many ups and downs, the lads are still the closest of mates. Most questions are answered as discussions between them (In this case, Ró Yourrell and Níal Conlan), intertwined with sly digs and anecdotal reminisces rather than individual thought processes.
Unsurprisingly, the lads take the same approach to their music. “Ro would have a great song so he’d come to the band and we'd pull it apart and hopefully put it back together in a way that nobody would have thought of before,” says Conlan.
“There's always going to be an ebb and flow of working with people. Ro, Kieran and Ross are three of the most creative people I’ve ever met in my life, so we'll always go in different directions. That can take a lot of blood, sweat and tears.”
Speaking of blood, sweat and tears, Delorentos have essentially recorded two albums in the last few years after a session in a studio in a Spanish vineyard was scrapped for not being the progression in quality that the band expects of itself.
“That session, even though it was really enjoyable to play and listen back, it just felt like we weren't necessarily saying anything different or it didn't feel like a progression. Maybe it happened too comfortably,” says Yourell.
“Lives have been changing a lot and it's hard to be creative when I don't have distance from things and while, practically, it was a great idea to roll into another studio, maybe we needed more time to conceive what we wanted.”
The whole point of doing an album, I think, is that you do the best thing that you've ever done, that you've never done. Otherwise, you're just doing the same thing, what's the point?”
At this point, the two become embroiled in a discussion about how the album progressed and came to fruition and it’s clear that even they haven’t stopped to think about and discuss the process as a band. “I think when you’re in the middle of it, you don’t really stop to think, do we?” Níal asks, again directing his question to Ró.
‘True Surrender’, set for release on April 27th, is Delorentos’ most-daring, open and intimate offering to date. It expands on those inward-looking themes explored in ‘Night Becomes Light’ and Choice-prize winning ‘Little Sparks’ but does so in a less-traditional Delorentos way. Gone are the “frantic”, as Ró puts it, guitar-led tunes, replaced by a much more laid-back synth-heavy sound.
“[Using less guitar] wasn't a conscious decision. It wasn't an aesthetic choice at the outset, the one thing we did say was that it's not important that what we do can be easily replicated live, what's important is that the song sounds cool and interesting and that it's a progression for us. The whole point of doing an album is that you do the best thing that you've ever done, that you've never done. Otherwise, you're just doing the same thing, what's the point?” Conlan says in an authoritative tone that suggests he may have been the lead dissenting voice after that studio session in Spain.
Watching the guys soundcheck in Cyprus Avenue ahead of the first night of the tour, Delorentos, whose live shows are known for their almost-incessant high energy, are still working out how the new laid-back album will slot in to the set.
“I think it's going to be really cool, it's going to make for a different type of set,” enthuses Yourell.
“We know we're not quite at Springsteen level yet, but we can now play for like an hour and 45 minutes or something and, in that length of show, you want ebb and flow and moments that are more reflective or introspective.”
With five albums now under their belt, as well as a limited-run Record Store Day acoustic release, Delorentos are seasoned veterans when it comes to promotion, something which, in an era of almost endless outlets, up-and-coming bands struggle with. Conlan says that, with the experience they have, if ‘True Surrender’ was their debut album, they’d do absolutely everything offered to them.
“It’s better to have 60% of something than 100% of nothing.”
“I think when we released ‘In Love With Detail’ and ‘You Can Make Sound’, we were quite precious with certain things. The first album, we turned down a lot of offers, whereas I think what's really important for a band, especially with their first album, is to experience the broadest kind of ranges, even if it means doing the same things a hundred times,” says Conlan.
Yourell agrees, stressing that bands “need to let the world in” even if that means giving away some control. “It’s better to have 60% of something than 100% of nothing.”
One opportunity the lads didn’t turn down when starting out was the chance to tour around the UK and introduce themselves to that market, playing several “Barfly shows from Southampton to Glasgow”. However, despite the efforts, it’s an area where, almost unbelievably, it hasn’t happened for the band. Yourell says there’s no definitive answer to why that is.
“We do the best we can to make the most noise that we can and wherever people respond, we go. But as you know, it’s so expensive to put a band on the road.”
Conlan interjects to agree. “It doesn’t come easy, we never had the golden cheque book situation. The Spanish and Mexican thing [playing main stages to huge crowds at festivals in each country] came down to two individuals who really believed in the band, whereas, in other cases, we’ve had a litany of the opposite happen. Sometimes you bump up against the ugly side of the industry but I’m proud of how we’ve behaved and treated people.”
After a lengthy aside, in which drunken antics on an Italian tour are discussed, the details of which are better left off the record, the conversation switches to bands the lads admire. UK band The Magic Gang are a group that Conlan especially admires for their work ethic.
“They toured England relentlessly for two-and-a-half years, coinciding with an incredible EP and now they’ve hit success. They’re a great example, I really admire their tenacity.”
“I kinda like the fact that guitar music isn’t a thing that’s used for Boots commercials anymore, I’m happy with that. There’s been this lamenting of indie/guitar bands falling off the pedestal but maybe it’s not a bad thing because what’s left are the people that are dogmatically ingenious or creative, the ones that would be doing it anyway, leaving a lot less of the Topshop and ASOS bands.”
I don't want to be an Irish band sitting here giving out about lack of support or whatever because I don't think we should rely on other people for support, we make it ourselves.
One thing The Magic Gang have going for them that Irish bands don’t is an infrastructure that allows bands to thrive - copious media outlets and even more venues willing to take a punt on you. I ask Ró and Níal if they feel there’s enough support for Irish music in Ireland.
“I dunno, people always use the Scandinavian example, or Australian or Canadian examples. That's cool but that's not the situation we're in. Unless you want to work in public policy or get yourself involved in IMRO as an advocate, there's no point in railing against lack of support,” argues Conlan.
“I don't want to be an Irish band sitting here giving out about lack of support or whatever because I don't think we should rely on other people for support, we make it ourselves.”
“Everybody knows there’s a majority of people working in the industry, that even though they maybe on the dole, they’d still be making music. So, the government, from an actuarial point of view, will ask ‘What’s the point in supporting them? They’ll do it anyway and we’ll get all the benefits.’.”
Ró agrees stressing that action is the only way things are going to change. “If Irish music wants to do something, to make a change, they should do something about it. We saw teachers last month get together and they’ll probably succeed because they made that effort. But that’s not a cool thing for musicians to do, so you have to decide.”
“Being honest with you, I think my answer to that question,” Conlan interjects again, “is that there’s definitely a disconnect between the creative community and the people that can make that life sustainable.”
“There are people that might have a strong opinion on whether, for example, Arcade Fire sold out by selling their song for a Superbowl Ad. But what about the 10 years they were living as actual bohemians in Montréal, where they hadn’t a pot to piss in? It’s ok for artists to find a way to bridge that gap.”
The forthcoming referendum on the 8th amendment is something which some Irish artists have shied away from talking about in the media, and while, at the time of the interview, Delorentos had remained quiet on the issue, both vociferously deny that was an intentional move guided by management or PR.
“It’s definitely not a conscious decision. It’s a tricky one. I think as four guys, there’s an element of we should be listening, not talking or dictating to people how they should think. We should be listening to women in society a lot more,” says Conlan.
It’s hard to know where the space is for men to wade in to this without being mansplaining idiots.
“We’re good friends with Una Mullally, who contributed to the Repeal The 8th anthology, but it’s hard to know where the space is for men to wade in to this without being mansplaining idiots.”
Ró admits that the majority of their time together of late has been in the studio or rehearsals and that the focus has been on the album, which would explain the silence on the matter, but he is definitive when he says that the band are fully behind positive social change in Ireland.
A week after this interview took place, during a homecoming show at Whelan’s, Níal took a moment before the band played Home Again to express the importance of supporting the Yes campaign and registering to vote.
It’s a little over nine years to the day (April 21st 2009) since Delorentos announced that they had reversed their decision to split up and throughout our chat, Conlan is in a reflective mood, talking of the fight to get to where Delorentos are now and his absolute pride in what the band has managed to achieved despite the setbacks.
“We hustled for everything and worked our balls off and that's something I'm really proud of because it feeds into what we do. I’ve worked with loads of people in different industries over the years, writing, film, but working with these three guys in particular is a privilege and long may it last.”
Amen to that.