Cork shoegaze quartet Ways of Seeing release the anticipated sophomore album The Inheritance of Fear, due for release on 10th October via Joyful Hour Records.

Drawing from a rich array of influences–literature, lived experience and the inherent traits carried through one’s lineage– rooted in explorations of fear, James O’Donnell’s excellent second album as Ways of Seeing, The Inheritance of Fear, is an astute meditation on the reverberations of trauma, loss and anxiety. It confronts the psychological weight of inherited anxieties and how we choose to either overcome or bury past traumas. Combining personal experience and storytelling with extensive engagement with critical and academic dissections on this universal topic, O’Donnell considers the lives of those who have influenced the people we are today.

The album is led by the new single ‘Last Wave’, the band explains:

“‘Last Wave’ is about the things we inherit but never asked for—the fear, the darkness, the faults and the complicated legacies of the past. I was especially taken by Doireann Ní Ghríofa’s poem ‘An Experiment to Engineer an Inheritance of Fear’, which reflects on the Irish Famine and its lingering wounds that still remain today.

The song examines our Irish identity; a colonial past and Catholic upbringing – how there are parts of our history so intertwined in our culture that to leave it behind completely would almost seem like a betrayal. That perhaps to live with the darkness is to live more fully, and that without it, we are left with something devoid of meaning… somehow. In the song I’m examining my makeup – what I can let go of and what must I hold dear? Writing it was my way of acknowledging those existential burdens, while also searching for release and healing.”

Ways of Seeing came into being after an unexpected eighteen-month period during which O’Donnell amassed a vast collection of songs developed in his home studio. Before that, having previously been a member of Hush War Cry and Dublin-based outfit Dear Desert, O’Donnell considered taking time away from making music. “Before End Comes to Light, I put music on the back burner and didn’t know if I would go back to it, to be honest,” reveals O’Donnell. “Then, once the pandemic hit, I suddenly had a lot of voice notes and time. Being a songwriter, you are constantly gathering ideas on your phone.”

Eventually, O’Donnell brought a collection of these songs to producer Christian Best to put the finishing touches on Ways of Seeing’s 2022 debut LP, End Comes to Light. Coming off the back of this immensely fruitful creative process, the Cork-based, Kerry-born songwriter and multi-instrumentalist left little time to let the dust settle and quickly set his sights on album number two. It became evident to O’Donnell, enjoying performing live with a band again for Ways of Seeing shows, that he had more to say in his songs and was eager to expand an already impressive catalogue of infectious alternative rock-focused arrangements, bolstered by hints of shoegaze, post-punk and indie rock, by infusing fresh textures and temperaments within the work.

Experimenting with interfaces, plug-ins and virtual amps, The Inheritance of Fear demonstrates a development in O’Donnell’s musical expression as the songs soar with an abundance of captivating guitar motifs against an array of crunchy percussion, sparkling synth embellishments and slinky bass riffs, which culminate in a simultaneously dexterous and cohesive body of work. An accomplished, multi-faceted artistic statement, this latest release announces Ways of Seeing as a vital voice amongst Ireland’s ever-flourishing music scene. What sets Ways of Seeing apart from their peers is a captivating blend of contemporary textures fused with emotive narratives influenced by the work of Philip Larkin on the luminous ‘Cruel, Naturally’, Samuel Beckett on the introspective ‘Godot’ while the visceral imagery synonymous with the work of Francis Bacon heightened O’Donnell’s examination of the fear of death on the psych-drenched brooding opener, ‘Premonition.’

Lyrically, O’Donnell found inspiration from several texts and writers whilst immersed in untangling the various threads of the album tied together by experiences and emotions impacted by intergenerational trauma. O’Donnell says, “Around the time I was starting to write the album, I finished Karl Ove Knausgaard’s autobiographical series My Struggle and was reading The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk. I was also listening to a lot of psychology material from Gabor Maté. There’s a Doireann Ní Ghríofa poem called ‘An Experiment to Engineer an Inheritance of Fear’ It’s about how, going back to the Famine, the scent of rotten potatoes has the capabilities to induce fear in us to this day. From spending so much time exploring fear and trauma through those brilliant texts, I thought it would be an interesting concept to thematically shape the album. Some of the songs are explicitly about that, while others hint at it or are linked to me and my own history.”

The period of writing and recording The Inheritance of Fear was punctuated with several devastating blows during which O’Donnell struggled with an illness that impacted his vocals and was coming to terms with the death of close friend and former Hush Cry War bandmate, Eoin French of Talos. In processing his grief and to celebrate his friend, O’Donnell revisited the outline of a song which became the beautiful instrumental, ‘Solat’. “I was writing that instrumental maybe two or three years ago, and I felt that it was something that Frenchy would write,” O’Donnell reflects. “When I was struggling with my vocals, I heard that he was sick, and that prompted me to revisit the track. I wanted to finish that instrumental because, as well as being a nice piece of music, it allows you to catch your breath in the middle of the album. It was important, also, to have something on the album for him, and I wanted to dedicate that moment to Eoin because he was a big influence on my songwriting and we learned how to write songs together when we were younger.”

As his illness cleared and his vocals were restored, O’Donnell collaborated with revered musician and producer Daniel Fox (Gilla Band, Sprints, Silverbacks, Lambrini Girls), who mixed these vibrant and dynamic guitar-steered arrangements. Having admired Fox’s work for many years, O’Donnell describes the opportunity to work with the in-demand producer to mix these masterful songs as the “silver lining” to this ground-breaking creative experience. The instrumentation effectively conjures a darker atmosphere compared to Ways of Seeing’s 2022 debut, End Comes to Light, inspired by a shift in O’Donnell’s listening habits. He found himself spending more time getting lost in the expansive sonic worlds of Deafheaven and Protomartyr, Whipping Boy, My Bloody Valentine and Microdisney. He had also been rediscovering beloved Irish albums via Paul McDermott’s revered podcast, To Here Knows When. Elsewhere, glimpses of The Cure, New Order, and Tame Impala can be felt in the masterful production, layered vocals and bright central guitar licks.

The influence of heavier music was hugely informative in driving both the sound and O’Donnell’s desire to work with Fox: “That was part of the reason I wanted to work with Daniel Fox. He’s worked with a lot of heavier rock bands like Sprints and guitar-focused bands like Silverbacks, which was something I wanted to explore more. There’s always an interplay between the heavy and the intimate, in a way. I was curious to push parts of the album sonically to elevate and expand the compositions even further than before. I wanted to make the songs really big-sounding and fun to play live.”

The pronounced depth in Ways of Seeing’s latest music and lyrical expression invites audiences to step inside these layered worlds to fully engage with this impactful and thought-provoking work, which rewards multiple listens. The Inheritance of Fear marks an exciting moment and maturation in O’Donnell’s idiosyncratic songwriting and ease in expanding Ways of Seeing’s musical sensibility with this vital and enriching exploration into how the past can shape our present, but doesn’t define what lies ahead.

Ways of Seeing have carved a reputation for atmosphere-driven, emotionally expansive songwriting, drawing comparisons to Slowdive, The National, Gilla Band and early Interpol. The band’s previous releases have seen widespread acclaim across national uk and Irish media, including Clash, NME Radio, Earmilk, Nialler9, GoldenPlec, The Thin Air, Hot Press, Notion and Backseat Mafia, as well as radio airplay on RTÉ 2fm (Dan Hegarty), Newstalk (Tom Dunne), and Raidió na Gaeltachta (An Taobh Tuathail) to name a few.

Live, Ways of Seeing have built a loyal following through sold-out headline shows at Whelan’s (Dublin), Mike the Pies (Kerry), and Coughlan’s (Cork), and support slots with Cork icons The Frank and Walters. The band features members who previously performed in Hush War Cry alongside Eoin French, now known as Talos.

The album arrives on 10th October via Joyful Hour Records.