- Culture
- 09 Dec 21
University College Cork music alumnus Laura Duff shared her sophomore EP 'Heavy Summer' on December 3rd.
Limerick native Laura Duff has unveiled the cinematic visuals for new single 'Wayside', premiered below by Hot Press and funded by the Arts Council of Ireland’s Agility Award.
Starring dancer and aerialist Jean O'Donoghue (also from Limerick) and directed by Shane Serrano of Crude Media; the video sees the protagonist wandering restlessly around her home - making breakfast, listlessly lounging on her bed staring into the sunlight before she heads to the local swimming pool. There, she can express herself fully in the water. It's certainly a short clip influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions.
"It explores isolation and longing imposed by lockdown, reconnecting with the self and the liberation that comes with that, and a prevailing feeling of hope illustrated by the moments of golden light and the more animated swimming pool scenes," Laura tells Hot Press of the 'Wayside' video. "More themes explored are: the mundane, the repetitions of daily life, self care, and distance."
The video was shot in one day across multiple locations, with Shannon Leisure Centre in county Clare offering the use of their pool for 'Wayside'. Jean O'Donoghue studied dance in Inchicore College in Dublin, Colaiste Stiofan Naofa in Cork and holds a first class honours degree in Voice and Dance from the University of Limerick. Jean has been involved in many dance film productions with Crude Media and Crooked Teeth productions, and is also a qualified ballet teacher under IDTA.
UCC graduate Laura Duff recently shared previewed singles Wayside', 'Good Form' and 'Easy' from her sophomore EP Heavy Summer, which dropped on December 3rd. The EP was recorded and produced by Christian Best of Monique Studios, Midleton, Cork, and mastered by Richard Dowling of Wav Mastering, Limerick. The gorgeous project is fittingly closed by the unreleased track 'All Sewn Up'.
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Another taste of her own brand of charismatic alternative pop, 'Wayside' is a standout offering from the rising musician. Duff was selected as the Paul Clancy Songwriter of the Year back in 2015 for the Irish Youth Music Awards, and as Circuit Festival’s Music Project Awardee and Arts Council Agility Awardee in 2021. Joined by friends JJ Lee (bass), Chris O’Sullivan (drums) and Finn Fogarty (guitar), Laura Duff's melancholic tracks are brought to new life, and higher energy.
Check out the new video from Laura Duff below: