Creating a genuine genre-spanning effort for his first full-length album, Ciaran McMeeken is releasing his self-titled debut on August 4th and pre-orders are now live!
Diverging from Ciaran’s classic singer-songwriter sound, this collection of 12 tracks is a result of over 30 months of collaborative writing both in New Zealand and Europe.
Recorded at Auckland’s Roundhead Studios, with the assistance of his long-time collaborator, acclaimed producer Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Jason Kerrison, Pluto), the album was recorded with a full live band with horns, strings, and a baby grand piano all making special guest features on the record.
His first full-length release, the album follows his first EP The Valley, which Ciaran independently released in 2014, and 2015’s Screaming Man, which features the standout single City (over 1.5 million streams on Spotify). What followed the release of Screaming Man was well over a year’s worth of writing to complete the new album, developing the sound with a far more collaborative approach than previously.
Taking part of the inaugural APRA-NZ On Air’s Song Hubs programme, Ciaran kickstarted writing his album by rubbing shoulders with the best songwriters in the business, including MoZella (Charlie Puth, Ellie Goulding, Miley Cyrus, One Direction). Working together on a song that is Ciaran’s current singleThat Feeling, a bright warm song with a solid pop hook, all about falling in love set the tone for his first full-length offering.
Genuine and positive, the themes of the album are all encompassing of Ciaran’s experience as an artist so far – exploring the emotions of falling in and out of love on tracks like Do You Mind? and Don’t Lie To Me, the search for one’s self and purpose with Spanish Steps, the reassurance of unshakable family and friends on My Kin, the freedom and exhilaration of being young and free on Which Way Shall We Go?, and the ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude reflected in Al Capone.
Ciaran will be showcasing the new album on a four-date New Zealand tour in August, sharing the stage with the same band he recorded the album with, as well as supporting Andy Grammar’s only New Zealand show in Auckland later in the year.
Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster for Auckland and Eventfinda for all other shows. |