Photos by Rich Gilligan.
It’s a hot day at the tail end of Pride week in Dublin but Conor O’Brien is enjoying ever sunnier climes. He’s in Madrid just as that city’s own Pride celebrations kick off, catching up with GCN to talk about The Villagers new album. A sonic departure from the raw introspection of Darling Arithmetic, this beautiful new collection of songs was a conscious attempt to try something new.
“I definitely had the intention of making music could move to,” Conor says. “I wanted to make something that would excite the band as well. I’m so used to touring now, wanted to make people dance, something that wasn’t quite so earnest and whispery. I’d done that so much that was bored of it, really.”