Wounded Healer, aka Sorca McGrath has just released her EP ‘Panic About Love’. We caught up with Sorca ahead of her performance this Friday at Interlude, a brand new music and arts festival in the RHA Gallery, Dublin.

No stranger to the Irish music scene, for the past few years Sorca has been a member of electro duo Ships. Going out solo as Wounded Healer was both something familiar yet also nerve racking. “I've played on my own many times over the years, before I got involved with Ships, so in a way it feels like going back to something I'm used to.  It’s been some time though, and rarely in Ireland, so I was a bit nervous about getting back to it and how it might be received here.”

Musically, there are always going to be differences when a musician takes the step away from their fellow bandmates, for Wounded Healer the main difference comes down to production. “With Ships we tend to put everything down and then subtract until we're left with only the vital elements, and our production is a slicker affair. Wounded Healer is far more indulgent with sounds and ideas.  I like to leave in musical accidents and go heavy on the vocal layering.”  

Although still early in her solo career, Wounded Healer has plans for the future. ”I've been working away on these songs for a while now so I have an album's worth, in various stages, from unfinished to finished.  I think it will depend on how patient I can be between releases, an album will take longer obviously but I'm up for the challenge.”

For the EP, Wounded Healer took on complete control of the release including writing, recording all instruments, vocals, mixing and producing, something which was very important to Sorca. “I've spent my youth (and more) sitting in studios with various people, learning and sometimes sharing duties, but never took something all the way through on my own  -and these songs are very personal, so it felt like the right time to do it. I feel I must also admit there were times I wished to ask for help with the EP towards the end, I know a few mixing wizard men who would have done a brilliant job, but I had a strong reaction against that when it came to it.”

“I was worried people would presume that all the technical work was done by the dude and that maybe I just did the ‘lovely singing’ or something.  I can laugh saying that now but it came from a place where I have experienced being thought of as a 'girl singer' as opposed to a musician over the years.  I've even been mistaken for the dutiful girlfriend of lads in my band, carrying my own gear into my own gigs.  That kind of stuff leaves a lasting impression that I'm not recognised as a musician in the same way my male counterparts are and seeing this EP through on my own was important to me - to be clear that I make music in many ways, I’m not just a vocalist…….or roadie.”

While still an active member of Ships, Sorca juggles her Wounded Healer duties along with collaborating with fellow Ships member Simon Cullen, aka Lasertom, who is also playing Interlude. It was hard to find the time to prepare the EP - “Simon’s a busy man too with Lasertom but we make time for Ships when the time is right.”

On listening to the EP, it could be said that there is something about the music that makes it sound like it was written to accompany a visual display, however that was not the intention. “But I did have a vision for a feeling-scape, if there is such a thing.  The two are intertwined though aren’t they, the feelings you can get from music or visuals, they should evoke something in you and one might spark a thought about the other.”

Inspiration can come in many shapes and forms but for Wounded Healer it is very much a personal experience. “They are all personal journey songs to some degree but as I’ve learned, nothing is disconnected from anything, so they’re as much my journey as my ancestors journey and beyond.  I really hope no one rolls their eyes reading that.”

Fans heading to Interlude on Friday are definitely in for a treat. “I’m actually really excited to play this set at Interlude, I’ve finished three new tracks especially for it. It will just be me, a bunch of gear and high hopes.”

Interlude takes place in the RHA Gallery, Dublin this October Bank Holiday weekend, (23rd, 24th and 25th). Tickets are on sale now from Eventbrite priced from €10.

Wounded Healer’s EP “Panic About Love” is out now, available from Bandcamp.