Dublin rockers Sun Mahshene return with new single The Righteous One – the first glimpse of their upcoming EP which is pencilled in for release later this year. Recorded in Darklands Studios with Daniel Doherty (Fontaines D.C.) The Righteous One is Sun Mahshene’s finest release to date.
The video for The Righteous One is an ambitious step up for the band. Well-known Dublin photographer and actor Ste Murray makes his directorial debut with a stunning video filmed in stately home Kilfane House, Kilkenny. If the stunning location wasn’t enough Murray also managed to acquire the services of acclaimed theatre director and actor Annie Ryan, best-known for her role in ’80s cult classic movie ‘Ferris Beuller’s Day Off’.
GoldenPlec caught up with Sun Mahshene frontman Nathan Henderson to find out the story behind the song and the video.
GP // The Righteous One is very dreamy and yet lyrically quite pointed? Who or what inspired the track?
Nathan Henderson: No one person inspired it really. It was more of an observation of the extreme viewpoints that we’re seeing more and more of over the last few years which have resulted in cancel culture. Disclaimer: Don’t read the comments section!
Sonically, the track reminds us of acts such as Ride. But who influenced its palette?
We’ve a wide range of influences with Ride being one of them. It’s definitely a song that would appeal to fans of Ride, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Verve.
The video for the song is quite spectacular. Were you quite happy to play a minimal role in it and let director Ste Murray go wild?
Absolutely, we were blown away by Ste’s vision for the video and loved the idea of us not being a focal point. But rather existing in the characters world, floating in the ether. It really emphasises the character’s madness.
How did you manage to get Annie Ryan from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off to appear in the video?
Annie is a hugely successful theatre director in her own right, and a lot of Ste’s work as a photographer and actor is in the world of theatre in Dublin. So it’s through those connections with Annie that he managed to convince her to star in the video. We couldn’t believe it when he told us that she had agreed to it. As expected she did an amazing job!
What are Sun Mahshene’s plans for the rest of 2021?
As you can imagine, it’s difficult to make any solid plans given the current situation with the global health crises. But we have an EP in the pipeline and we’re currently debating on whether to release another single after The Righteous One or to release the EP next. We’ll have a chat with our management and label and hatch plan with them. Either way there will be more new music coming and we can’t wait to get it out into the world.