Overhead, The Albatross

Irishmen pull on the heartstrings with dynamic post-rock

“We’re all quite private people, so to be putting so much of your feelings was a bit nerve-wracking.”

Body//The ears if Pink Floyd fans will prick up at the sound of Overhead, The Albatross’ band name – given that the moniker is grabbed from the opening line of their track //Echoes//.
“Myself and Stevie the bass player, we would have been massive Pink Floyd fans when we were teenagers,” reflects piano and keyboard player David Prendergast. “So when we started the band I was listening to Pink Floyd all the time – staying up late, doing the thing where you press //Dark Side Of The Moon// at the exact same as the //Wizard Of Oz//… I was that guy.” The Floyd connection starts to dissipate beyond the name, with the Dublin quartet more post-rock than prog rock – but there is some shared DNA in the experimentalism and soundscaping.

Fresh from the release of their second album //I Leave You This//, the dynamic band juggle sweeping, cinematic instrumentals, with cathartic moments of dark and light, while there are hints of electronic, math rock and spoken word too.
The album also reverberates with a new vulnerability. Whereas their first record //Learning to Growl// was fully instrumental, this time emotion-fuelled life events – such as death and birth – have influenced the approach, with poetry and lyrics created during the songwriting.
“We were shy about giving away too much about our personal experiences,” Prendergast says. “We’re all quite private people, so to be putting so much of your feelings on the internet in the format of the album was a bit nerve-wracking. And even now when we’re playing the songs live for the first time, it’s like holy shit – this is really personal and private.”

The album has a taste of the world too, with traditional instruments from the Philippines – where Prendergast is based when not working – included in the mix as well as guest vocals from Cherry Pink, who runs a karaoke bar there. The roots of Overhead, The Albatross wind back around 15 years, when Prendergast was performing in bands in Ireland – “it was prog stuff, but it was really bad” – before having his eyes opened by post-rock and instrumental music. Once a seven-piece, the band spent a few months in a house in valley near Prague writing album number one, which was released in 2016. It’s been a long eight years between records, with real life getting in the way of things, and Prendergast admits it is “crazy” the band even got it over the line.

The future for Overhead, The Albatross looks rosy, though; new avenues are opening, with their music reaching further afield and gigs in the UK, Europe and Asia anticipated in 2025.

“It seems to be becoming a little bit easier with the help of all these people,” Prendergast says, as he reflects on the band’s growing support from small record labels. “They’re just people that love this kind of music and we’re just being exposed more and more to these little scenes that are happening. It’s really cool to be part of it now.”

PROG FILE

LINE-UP: Vinny Casey (guitar), Stevie Darragh (guitar and bass guitar), Luke Daly (director, guitar), David Prendergast (piano, keyboard)

SOUNDS LIKE: A ride through the ups and downs of life, soundtracked by well-produced post-rock

CURRENT RELEASE: //I Leave You This// is out now via NWfA Records

WEBSITE: www.facebook.com/overheadthealbatross

— Chir Cope