Today Irish artist Sinead O’Brien releases her brand new single ‘Girlkind’, out now via Chess Club Records. Taken from her yet-to-be-announced debut album, the metronomic ‘Girlkind’ was produced by Dan Carey and is accompanied by a mesmerising video directed by Saskia Dixie.

WATCH THE OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR ‘GIRLKIND’ BELOW

'GIRLKIND' IS AVAILABLE HERE: https://amzn.to/3GF6Ogd

“I wanted to create something that responded directly to the form and patterning of Sinead's track.” explains Saskia; “We have been fascinated with the shape of performative and neutral states of being for a long time and the film for Girlkind, I think, gets to the core of this idea. The passing of time is a reliable certainty that drives on regardless of what contrasting state you are currently embodying, so this became the base thread for the piece. Simple domestic activities swell into loops that feel absurd and almost choreographic in parts of the work. Whilst action and consequence are mapped out visually, time becomes fragmented, as the action takes place in the neutral arena, and the result, a mark or stain, comes through into the performative sphere.”

Reflecting on her new single, Sinead says:

“I am out in the elements.
At the mercy of others.
Pulled in all directions.
I wait endless.

The phenomenon of the moving statues in Ireland during the 1980s becomes a motif.

“When the virgin rocks the statues come to stop”.

These verses are glimpses into experience. Girlkind and Humanhood

“Persevering eternity.
Balancing, evaluating.
Going back and forth.
Keep forging a way through.”

Originally from Limerick, O’Brien’s work captures the everyday and the inbetween in a way that transcends any genre label. Writing from her own observations, O’Brien’s influences can be found in the realism of Mark E. Smith of The Fall and Patti Smith, and the works of literary icons such as Samuel Beckett, W.B Yeats, Flann O’Brien, Joan Didion and Albert Camus.

2020 was a true breakout year for O’Brien, drawing international critical acclaim from the likes of DIY, Dazed, Dork, Loud & Quiet, NME, Paste, Stereogum, The FADER, The Forty Five, The Guardian, The Quietus, and more. O’Brien was heavily supported at national radio with the likes of Jack Saunders at BBC Radio 1, and Steve Lamacq at BBC Radio 6 Music proving huge champions of her music, culminating with ‘Most Modern Painting’ landing a spot on the 6 Music playlist last year.

A multifaceted artist, O’Brien’s writing has also been published by the esteemed London Magazine whose alumni include T.S. Eliot, Sylvia Plath and William Burroughs. Her unique fusion of lyric-focused, spoken and sung words set against the "unholy orchestra" (Dork Magazine) of her band, Julian Hanson (guitar) and Oscar Robertson (drums), has piqued the attention of luminaries of both fields, seeing her perform with John Cooper Clarke and The Brian Jonestown Massacre at sold out theatres across the U.K. Sinead O’Brien’s transfixing performances are placing her at the forefront of a resurgent wave of independent British and Irish talent.

'GIRLKIND' IS AVAILABLE HERE: https://amzn.to/3GF6Ogd

Upcoming Live Dates:
November 19th - De Nijverheid, Utrecht, Netherlands
December 5th - Trans Musicales, Rennes, France (Ubu)
January 7th-9th - Rockaway Beach Festival, Bognor Regis 2022
January 18th - O2 Academy Brixton, London (IDLES support)
February 22nd - The Grand Social, Dublin, Ireland
June 6th - Primavera In The City, Sidecar, Barcelona, Spain

Praise

"a singular and visceral talent" - Sunday Times Culture

“hugely exciting” - The Quietus

“Quite simply, O’Brien is a hell of a performer” - NME

“another new, idiosyncratic voice coming from across the Atlantic” - Stereogum

“endlessly fascinating” - The Line Of Best Fit