Irish artist Drew Hall has shared melancholic new single 'ilostmyhead' via the Cork-based Hausu Collective.

Hall has been based in Los Angeles for the last year, working as an assistant engineer on sessions ranging from the likes of Hamilton's Leslie Odom Jr. and Renée Elise Goldsberry to rising names in hip-hop like Victoria Monét and Saint Bodhi. In the time between sessions, the pop-tinged singer-songwriter has been working on his own material in the live rooms.

Drew's music brings together heartfelt pop songwriting with distinctly classic, jazz-leaning R&B textures - vocal harmonies and warm, inviting chords; minimally yet effectively arranged.

'ilostmyhead' is a reflection on flights back and forth to LAX, chasing his dreams through the pandemic, struggling to find a place for himself and watching his dreams dissipate while self-isolating in a locked down Ireland, trying to sort a visa. Settled in LA once more and with the future looking up for Hall, this song sees him picking up the pieces once more.

His latest song is marks Hall's fourth single with the Cork-based Hausu; an independent, self-managed, genre-spanning collective of artists and producers seeking success in self-sufficiency.

“'ilostmyhead' reflects on returning to Ireland after my experience in LA last year amidst the height of the pandemic - battling with the highs and lows while also trying to find my next chapter," Drew told Hot Press of the song's origins.

"The song explores the overwhelming sensation that I believe a lot of us face in our 20s: feeling uncertain about the future, understanding your own likes and dislikes, being scared you've made the wrong decisions or said the wrong thing to someone. It's certainly a really growing up experience - particularly, when I'm halfway across the world from home.

"The sacrifices and changes I’ve had to make get really put into perspective when things get hairy and you can’t help but wonder, what should I have done differently? The song is inspired by the relationships we have with people and places...how we let them control us and in many ways define us. The inspiration comes from the overwhelming sensation of uncertainty and anxious decision making when you find yourself between a rock and a hard place."

Hall started writing the track in January of 2021 after returning home to Cork for a month. The pandemic was worsening and his future in LA and the foundations he had built were starting to destabilise.

"I didn’t and in many ways, still don’t know what the future has in store for me or my music. So the song's concept was certainly one that had been boiling up inside of me for the last year," Hall continues.

"The recording process began with me returning to my home in Cork where I produced the record in my basic home studio that I used throughout my undergrad. Certainly a downgrade from the LA recording studio however the experience I had there allowed me to get the best out of the recordings I could get! I think the recording of the demo song was done in about two weeks and then I was refining it for a couple months."

Drew Hall plans to release his debut EP towards the end of the year, and aspires to put on shows in both Ireland and the US after its eagerly-awaited release. Stay tuned, he's a talent on the rise...

Listen to the gorgeous 'ilostmyhead' below: