"Fionn Regan is one of the new breed of Irish singer-songwriters, creating a sense of intimacy that is genuinely special..." Read an interview with FIONN REGAN and listen to Reservoir and Noah (Ghost In A Sheet) from his debut release, the Reservoir EP

To listen, click here.

Reservoir regular quality high quality

Noah (Ghost In A Sheet)
regular quality high quality

Who’d have thought that the sound of an artist tuning his guitar at the start of a song would prove to be the perfect introduction?

Irish singer-songwriter Fionn Regan’s capacity for engaging his audience in soft, hazy, intimate tones is so compelling that you feel instantly at home. His human touch – the odd cough, un-polished vocal – only add to this.

On Regan’s Reservoir EP, evocative acoustic chord progressions are underpinned with a gentle, hypnotic beat and dusted with a hushed yet bleak voice.

The EP was recorded in October, in Konk Studios, which are owned by former Kinks man, Ray Davies.

“It’s a really cool, old place,” Regan says. “It’s got all the old analogue gear in it. But we were doing it on the sly – I don’t think he knows about it – running in there on days it was empty. We were kind of doing things in one take, which is usually the way I like it best.

“I wanted all those warm sounds. I’ve done a lot of recording and I’ve found that when you get finicky about stuff, you lose something. You can polish something and make it sound really nice, but a bit of the warmth you had in the first place disappears. I did the vocals after a night out and they’re a bit rawer or whatever, but I much prefer listening to them than if I sounded like a choirboy. It’s more human.”

With a musical presence reminiscent of some inspired hybrid of Chris Martin, Thom Yorke and Glen Hansard, it’s surprising that Regan cites reading as his biggest influence.

“I read books a lot more than I listen to music,” he says. “I’m reading 100 Years Of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, bits of Rushdie and a lot of American stuff. It influences you in that it disconnects your brain in the same way as when you’re songwriting. It gets that side of your brain working – and that’s when I write the best songs.”

Having toured extensively with label-mates Turin Brakes, Fionn Regan also filled the support slot for our own Gemma Hayes on her recent live excursion. If he is passing through your town soon, catch him in action. It could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Fionn Regan plays the Ruby Sessions, Doyle's, College Green, Dublin on Tuesday 21 January. The Reservoir EP is out now