Ireland’s Friendmaker – true sonic bloom with single ‘You, Me and Everything Else’

It would be understatement to say that we’re suckers for a great melody and even more so when a song has both a solid steady development and maintains its balance and harmony throughout. So it should be no surprise that we’re thrilled to be sharing the single ‘You, Me and Everything Else’ by an Irish collective called Friendmaker. This five-piece has ticked all our boxes, turning something that begins as a minimalistic waltz into a full-out cinematic production with a full-band sound.

Friendmaker recalls the pure spirit, depth and catchy dreaminess of some of the music we’ve covered here recently, including fellow Irish artists David Long and Shane O’Neill, as well as Cat Dowling, as well as listen-worthy elements in common with artists such as Philip Parfitt and, a little less so, Davey Woodward and The Winter Orphans. Most of all, however, it reminds me of the massive strength and commendable development that was embodied in Snow Patrol’s smashing ‘Chasing Cars’. A band that holds great promise, we hope that will folks will look back on this single a decade from now, marking Friendmaker’s big splash onto the music scene. It’s catchy and colorful, yet comfortably on the reflective end of the spectrum, their personalities percolating through this stunning creation.

Set to release on March 3, this debut single indie-folk offering is showcased in an equally as beautiful video with cinematography by Darren Finn and Fiona Marron and choreography by Orla Sheridan and Paige Cunningham.

‘You, Me & Everything Else’ is a reflective folk meandering that wilfully loses itself to a darker undertow. It is a moment in thought. The pause before a new chapter. A love song about the other love, the one they don’t write about. A love beyond the initial spark and the early excitement. A love that requires you to reveal more of yourself than just the curated ideal. A love that invites you to learn more of self and asks you to lay bare your innermost truths. Will they still like the real you? Will you?

Hailing from the Republic of Ireland, slightly south of the border with Northern Ireland (the town of Carrickmacross in Monaghan County to be exact), Friendmaker is singer, songwriter and producer David Marron (Sanzkrit, Somefinn), Maolíosa McMahon (vocals and keys), Paul Finn (guitar and vocals), Paul Markey (bass) and Fintan Marron (drums).

“We like creating songs where every note and every lyric is carefully considered, but we also like embracing the accidental stuff. We like to make songs that have a familiar warmth before bringing the listener with us to darker places. Then we use melody and humour to keep the listener there forever! Ha! but yeah we’re just a rock band making the kind of music we would want to listen to. We live for those floaty moments when a song begins to magic into life,” says David Marron.

After Marron’s previous band Sanzkrit ground to a halt, Marron found himself trying to fill a void by playing guitar in a few bandss DJing, doing graphic design for bands and running an Arts Festival. Even though he was keeping busy in creative fields, he felt he was still ignoring a big and important part of himself. He notes, “Music was solely personal therapy for dealing with difficulty. It wasn’t something I really felt like sharing at that time.”

For David and Friendmaker, it would take a global pandemic and an unsold car to get back on track, diving deeper into music with the isolation of the lockdowns spurring him to be more social in his creativity. But he was also faced with a fateful choice: “In early 2020, I had saved a few quid to upgrade my car. If lockdown hadn’t happened, I definitely would’ve changed my car and I don’t think any of this new material would exist. Thankfully the money I had saved for a car was instead invested in proper recording equipment and so, over six months, I built a studio and began writing and recording. New ideas flowed seamlessly. The new environment was inspiring and the songs kept coming. I was writing the best music I had ever written and you’ll be glad to know my car is still hanging on too, but just.”

On the video, Marron notes, “I used the lyrical themes as a jumping-off point for a tangential narrative. We’re introduced to a confused character, confronted by two temptress figures inspired by the Selkies & Sirens of Celtic Folklore. In this context, they represent opposing poles of thought, the left brain, the right brain, certainty and doubt, the proverbial two paths. Our character is drawn to sea as his mind dances in thought between harmony and chaos. He seeks control of the inner turmoil and through that journey realises as he nears his point of breaking that it is the very obsession of control that errs his equilibrium and that it is in the actual relinquishment of authority that he finds an inner peace….. for now anyway. At the end we leave our protagonist where we first met him. He knows similar difficulties may lie ahead but experience will leave him better prepared for battle.”

On March 3rd, ‘You, Me & Everything Else’ will be released via the band’s own imprint House of Strange Vinyl and will be available everywhere digitally, including Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Written by David Marron
David Marron – vocals, guitar
Maolíosa McMahon – vocals, keyboards
Paul Finn – guitar, vocals
Paul Markey – bass
Fintan Marron – drums
Recorded and produced by David Marron at Samhlaíocht Studio, Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan.
Additional recording, production and mixing by Darren Clarke
Mastering by Peter Montgomery
Artwork design by David Marron, Photography by Fintan Marron
Video written, directed & edited By David Marron
Cameras, cinematography & additional direction By Darren Finn & Fiona Marron
Choreography by Orla Sheridan & Paige Cunningham

While you are here, explore Friendmaker’s rendition of ‘Kindling’, originally performed by Elbow and written by John Grant & Guy Garvey, performed as part of the “Hit The Right Note” virtual busking event by Friends of SOSAD, an Irish charity that focuses on Suicide prevention through early intervention.

Comments are closed.