‘Strange Kind Of Blue’ is the latest release from Justin Curran. The Northern Irish singer-songwriter drops his country-infused single in line with the promise he made to himself a few years back: to release new music every few months going forward.

Hailing from Belfast, Curran grew up listening to the likes of Paul Weller, The Style Council and The Jam, and was in and out of various Britpop bands throughout the 90s and early 2000s in Ireland and the UK. On this track, he hones in very distinctly on his inimitable alternative country-rock sound – ‘Strange Kind Of Blue’ is carried by jangly guitar riffs and shaker-infused percussion, with a splattering of bluesy, Dylan-esque lyrics and delicate harmonica over top.

The multitalented musician plays bass, guitar, harmonica and Hammond organ on the track – recorded out of his own studio where he currently resides in the Alps. Curran explains his history of do-it-your-self recording: “After working as a photographer in Spain, I moved back to the UK in 2012 and set up a recording studio in my living room when the kids were at school”. It proved good at-home therapy during a difficult patch in his life. Curran adds that his music is shaped by the cloudy colours he sees when writing, visualising this single as an unmistakable “hazy blue.”

The Belfast musician has been on the touring circuit since the early 2010s, touring an album around the UK, Channel Islands and Ireland, bagging live sessions on BBC Introducing Jersey with his JC & The Loony Tunes outfit along the way. They headlined festivals alongside The Levelers and The Charlatans, and after disbanding in 2018, Curran returned to Belfast to work alongside the former drummer of Paul Weller’s band Ben Gordelier on the production of ‘Strange Kind Of Blue’. Gordelier provides crisp percussion, shakers and soft Hammond organ that speak perfectly to the smogginess of the track.

Curran describes his inspiration for his latest release: “It draws on the lightness of a hazy, frosty, spring morning. It’s been 25 years in the making – I first started writing it in my folks’ house overlooking the city of Belfast in my 'room with a view'.” The singer-songwriter says the song was “completed in my head” after his kids where splashing to the beat in the pool, sparking his drive to record a percussion on water.

With its soulful lyrics, ‘Strange Kind Of Blue’ captures the depth of how music can calm the soul and mind – a therapeutic release Curran often craves in his poignantly artistic life.

‘Strange Kind Of Blue’ is out now on all major platforms. Curran is also doing a small theatre tour of the UK during 2022.