Irish alt-folk singer Ailbhe Reddy shares confessional new single, 'Inhaling'

Irish alt-folk singer Ailbhe Reddy has shared the first release since her 2020 debut album Personal History — a delicately vulnerable single called 'Inhaling.'

Marrying layered, breathy vocals with a swirling baseline and barely-there piano, the song is imbued with an honest, confessional quality — both a vulnerable outpouring and a quietly optimistic commentary on time and change. With gentle verses crescendoing into a swirling chorus, the song perfectly ebbs and flows in step with the candid lyricism. Gentle, yet powerful, 'Inhaling' is a sign of what's to come from the rising folk-pop star.

“Inhaling is all about feeling drained and restless in life and looking back on my younger self and thinking that even if it was a totally chaotic disaster at times, at least I had feeling," the singer commented.

"At least I was experiencing new things and living in the moment. It's about missing being out with my friends partying and feeling alive and free. It's ultimately a song about freedom."

Building her sound on gently compelling indie, the Dublin native is a rising force in the Irish music scene. Blending together the familiar sounds of alt-folk and pop with powerful vocals and masterfully crafted lyricism, Reddy uses sparse, but intentional production to craft a sound that is entirely her own.

Reddy has been finding strength in sensitivity since her 2016 debut EP Hollowed Out Sea. Since, she has shared 2017's Attach to Memory and her debut, critically acclaimed album Personal History. The latter garnered a nomination for Best Album from the Choice Music Prize, and extensive radio play on BBC6. 'Inhaling' is Reddy's first release in two years, ahead of an appearance at The Great Escape festival this May.

Listen to 'Inhaling,' below: