Over dinner somewhere in continental Europe, while touring their chart-topping, boundary-pushing second album, 2023’s Gigi’s Recovery, the members of The Murder Capital came to the same, resounding conclusion – it was time for a change.

“We were over it – that more indulgent, cinematic approach of Gigi’s Recovery,” frontman James McGovern reflects now. “We were speaking about intentions for the next record, and there was definitely a reaction to all that – we wanted to get into the substance of the tune faster, and be harsher in the editing room. It was the first time that the five of us really agreed on what to do with a record.”

“We had a tendency to over-write ideas,” adds drummer Diarmuid Brennan. “We’d be like, ‘This is a good idea – let’s make it even better by extending it into something…’ But we realised, even from playing some of the Gigi’s songs live, that, with that indulgence, you’re losing some of what the song is, or what it could be. When you listen to a good song, you know what that feeling is straight away. It doesn’t have to be spelt out in every bar or chorus.”

The expansive, colourful world the band conjured up on Gigi’s Recovery was itself a deliberate departure from the Irish five-piece’s grief-stricken debut, 2019’s When I Have Fears – as they ditched the post-punk tag of their early career, to embrace something much broader, and freer.

Now, having topped charts, garnered international praise, sold out prestigious venues, and toured with some of the most iconic forces in music, they’re ready to tap into something decidedly more direct and daring, as they kick off a brand new chapter with Blindness, their third album.

Like Gigi’s Recovery, the project found the band – also made up of guitarists Damien 'Irv' Tuit and Cathal 'Pump' Roper, and bass player Gabriel Paschal Blake – teaming up once again with Grammy-winning American producer John Congleton, known for his work with the likes of St Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, and Angel Olsen. This time, however, The Murder Capital joined Congleton at his base in Los Angeles.

“It was alien territory for us, recording in LA, but he was very much in his home,” James says of working with the producer. “For Gigi’s Recovery, it was like we were all out on the beautiful island that is La Frette [Studios] in Paris, which was a unique experience that we were all sharing. But it was good for us this time to have the assuredness of knowing who we were going to work with, and how the workflow was going to be – while also having this totally unknown, goliath of a city outside.”

The experience wasn’t without its challenges. An argument broke out between the band during pre-production in LA, which lost them some precious time. While James now only half-messingly blames the conflict on “ego”, Diarmuid notes that, when writing an album, “there’s always boiling points”.

“Communication can just break down,” he resumes. “We were very much coming to the end of a process, and maybe not everything was ironed out. Instead of that rippling into a studio situation, it always has to come out – for us, anyway. The way we write, it’s very emotional sometimes.”

The Murder Capital. Credit: Hugo Comte

Before heading off to Los Angeles, the “most fruitful” part of the album writing process, James says, took place in Dublin, where The Murder Capital – now scattered everywhere from Donegal to London – originally formed as students. Straight after their performance at Other Voices in Dingle in late 2023, they hunkered down for two weeks in Dublin’s Temple Lane Studios.

One of the tracks written during this time was ‘Death Of A Giant’ – inspired by Shane MacGowan’s funeral procession, which passed through the city during the writing trip.

“A few of us headed down before we went to the studio, and watched it,” James recalls. “There’s just something about the way we celebrate death in our country – it’s so beautiful, and so ceremonial. It was everything about that day – the carriage, the people singing after it as it passed through, and this marching band with all these young kids.

“We didn’t go there with any thoughts of writing about it, to be honest,” he continues. “We just went there to pay our respects, and to feel that sense of community that you can only get in that concentration in Ireland. There’s a nice closeness we have with death here. Living in the UK, it feels like there’s a big separation for them, when it comes to funerals.”

Shane, James reflects, was “part of the fabric of our culture.”

“It’s really hard to put it into words, how adept he was, through all of his personal struggles, at bringing such a vulnerability to his work,” he adds. “And having such an accurate finger on the pulse of humanity as a whole.”

Another notable, if slightly unexpected, influence on The Murder Capital’s latest album is Neil Young – with the spirit of ‘Cortez The Killer’ especially felt on the Blindness track ‘Love Of Country’.

“That’s my favourite Neil Young song,” James enthuses. “When we were writing Gigi’s Recovery, we were in Donegal for a couple of weeks, and me and Irv used to get absolutely smashed, and go outside with a couple of acoustic guitars at night, and play ‘Cortez The Killer’. Like a 25-minute version, smashing it out. Letting him solo all over it, and being like, ‘You’re the best, man…’

“‘Love Of Country’ used to be much more of a heavy, rock tune,” he continues. “But something about that didn’t sit well – so we thought about doing this sort of Harvest Moon approach. It’s the only song on the record where it’s just a live take in its entirety, with the five of us playing together, which was nice. I’d like to do more of that.”

‘Love Of Country’, which addresses the kind of misguided, hate-driven nationalism that’s on the rise worldwide, was written not long after the Dublin riots of November ‘23.

“I was in Temple Lane Studios, waiting for a couple of the lads to come in, just writing this poem in my journal,” James explains. “I didn’t really know what I was writing about. But that was ‘Love Of Country’ in its entirety, unedited.

“It’s not as simple as just saying, ‘Look at them, setting cars on fire,’” he says of the riots. “It’s more like, ‘Why are these people so pushed to that edge? Why are those communities feeling so under the boot?’ What happened earlier that afternoon was a total tragedy – but that evil doesn’t represent entire nations or peoples.”

Diarmuid recalls the shock of not only getting the call from his upset mother about the riots, but seeing that xenophobic rhetoric continue to gain traction in Ireland.

“I’m just like, ‘I can’t believe this is coming from Irish people,’” he reflects. “Any Irish person who’s travelled knows how beloved we are, and what Irish people represent across the world – and how we’re taken in by other nations. That’s all something to be proud of, but that shouldn’t be taken for granted. We should be able to give back to the people who come here.”

Of course, ‘Love Of Country’ has a global perspective too, and the central themes are also relevant in the context of Zionism, and the devastation in Gaza and the West Bank. In December, The Murder Capital announced a special 7” vinyl edition of the song, with all proceeds going to Medical Aid For Palestinians.

“We keep getting asked, ‘Are you worried about politicising yourselves?’” James notes. “And I know it’s obviously linked to politics, but to me, that’s a humanitarian issue. I care about it from a humanistic standpoint.”

Both James and Diarmuid have been horrified by Donald Trump’s recent comments about Gaza – as well as his Executive Order, which promises to revoke student visas and deport non-citizens who participate in pro-Palestine protests, in the name of ‘combating anti-Semitism’.

“So much for free speech,” Diarmuid remarks. “It’s this thing of polarising every situation. If you look at the genocide that’s happening, and what’s happened in the Palestinian people’s history, and you say, ‘that’s wrong’, it’s like: ‘Well, if you’re not on our side, you’re against us…’”

“It goes back to that conflation of ‘pro-Palestine’ with ‘anti-Semitic’ – which is just the biggest load of absolute bullshit ever,” James nods. “I would consider myself in support of all the people in Israel who are under the thumb of Netanyahu, and who do not agree with all the evil that he’s carrying out. The most powerful thing you’ll see at a pro-Palestine march is a Jewish person saying, ‘That’s not happening in my name.’”

“Obviously it matters who’s funding the weapons,” Diarmuid adds, “but at the end of the day, it’s people who have the power to stop it, and come to some sort of solution that doesn’t obliterate people, or send them away.”

From the intensity of the subject matter, to the recording process in LA – “I remember the intense heat on my face as we argued in the car park, yeah!” James laughs – hitting the road soon after the creation of Blindness proved cathartic for the band. Last summer saw them head off on tour as special guests of Pearl Jam, which they capped off in Barcelona with a suitably wild performance of Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’ with Eddie Vedder and the band.

“It was quite a hectic affair – too many tambourines!” James recalls. “We were in our dressing room, having just finished the last gig, and a stately American security guard knocks on our door, saying, ‘Eddie will see you now.’ So we all went downstairs, and Eddie came out – a really sweet, kind fella – and presented us all with gold Eddie Vedder Zippos, in true American rock ‘n’ roll fashion. And then he asked us to sing a bit of Neil Young with him.”

Just a few months later, they gained even more arena experience, supporting Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds on their European tour.

“It’s been a mad year of supporting these icons of music and culture,” James reflects. “Pump’s a big Pearl Jam fan, but Nick Cave, for some or most of us, was a big one – for the inner-child, or whatever. And honestly, they’re some of the soundest people ever – him, Warren [Ellis], Colin [Greenwood of Radiohead], Carly [Paradis]. All of them.”

“The Bad Seeds were telling us that they’re not really used to having a support, because for a while, he just never really had support bands,” Diarmuid notes. “So it was very flattering to get to play those shows. And also just watch Nick and the band – they’re so tight every night. He really pours so much into these songs, and you can really feel that off him. You can’t fake that.”

“Also, the sweat on his back perfectly forms in the shape of angel wings,” James deadpans. “He must talcum-powder the rest of his body…”

‘And that’s where we got our album artwork!” Diarmuid laughs.

The Murder Capital are currently gearing up for their own massive run of tour dates, including shows in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Europe – before returning to Dublin for a major homecoming gig at the Iveagh Gardens, with special guests Soft Play and mary in the junkyard.

“This is music I’ve wanted to make with this band for a long time,” James concludes. “So I’m just buzzing to play these shows – because this album is made for a live show.”

Blindness is out now. The Murder Capital play the Iveagh Gardens, Dublin on July 19.