PREMIERE: Cork's Colm Hayes shares debut solo single 'Mosaic', feat. Grace McMahon

Dungarvan-based singer-songwriter, Colm Hayes is set to release his long awaited debut solo single, 'Mosaic', across all streaming platforms tomorrow.

Hot Press are delighted to premiere Colm's first official release, though he's a familiar face on the Irish music scene. Alongside the success of past ensembles, Kudos, and The Mandolas; Colm’s solo material has always had a cult following in Cork City and beyond.

The song explores the relationship between a father and his new-born daughter, and the natural evolution of caregiving that occurs through life, presented on an enthralling, dreamy backdrop. Hayes is joined on the track by Grace McMahon of The Art Crimes Band, whose gorgeous vocals compliment the piece perfectly.

'Mosaic' was recorded and mixed by Niall Dennehy in Monkey Orphanage Studios, Cork, and mastered by the legendary Tony Cousins (Adele, Bat For Lashes) at London's Metropolis Studios.

The single features appearances from Colm’s former bandmates and musical contemporaries, such as; Niall Dennehy (The Art Crimes Band, Kudos), Michael Grace (BRIARS, The Mandolas), New York-based composer and conductor Cian McCarthy (Kudos), Cárthach O’Núanáin (Noatak, Kudos), and Tim O’Leary (The Art Crimes Band).

The song has a dreamlike non-linear temporal quality, it’s not set in any particular point in time. It brings together different time-periods and challenging life-cycle transitions – all lumped into the one listening experience.

"I wrote 'Mosaic' at a period in my life when time had stood still; my wife and I were in a beautiful bubble together getting acquainted with our little baby girl for the first time," Colm tells Hot Press of the track's origins.

"That delicate dance of bliss and terror that comes with being ushered into the transformative world of first-time parenthood overnight; you recognise the magnitude of the responsibility, the duty of care you have in nurturing this fragile life form that you’ve somehow helped create," Colm adds. "All you can do take a leap of faith, in a sense.You hope you have it in you to live up to that unspoken promise, that sacred primordial pact."  

"I used to pick up the guitar and sing for her in the mornings; she’d become animated, swinging back and forth on her chair, giggling and cooing back at me. All the while with that beautiful smile beaming up at
me. And what better way to communicate than through music?" 

Songwriting has been a lifeline for Colm during such a turbulent time, as it has been for everyone.

"Music has always been my primary meaning making process, even as a child, and when the pandemic hit, I found myself once more relying on music to ground myself as the sands shifted underneath my feet. It was an unconscious thing," the musician comments.

"I hope I think twice before I disavow that part of me again. 'Mosaic' is in many respects a musical restoration project, a reconciliation of sorts. It was an excuse to reconnect with old friends from the various musical incarnations that I’m grateful to have been a part of. Those who have contributed musically to the project represent a mosaic of my life to date in music," Colm explains.

"It felt like I was cosying up with previous incarnations of myself too as the process unfolded, welcoming in those neglected parts of my past in a spirit of non-judgemental acceptance. It’s as though a gentle reframing of the past was necessary before new creative ground could be covered; like manipulating old sounds in the pursuit of new sonic territory. And, of course, there’s the conceptual underpinning of the song itself; what is life but a series of endings? Or is it new beginnings? To me, they’re two faces of the same coin."

A conceptual creative, Colm enjoys attempting to create a space where conceptual depth and radio-friendly melodic sensibilities co-exist.

"It’s a colourful conceptualisation of life that implies a degree of agency; that we are all artists capable of manifesting beauty into the world. It’s nice to think of our journey through life in
those terms." 

"I think to myself, “there’s no reason why a three-and-a-half-minute song exploring themes of parenthood, mortality and cosmic interconnectedness through the medium of a father/daughter conversation could not pass the old grey whistle test. Why not?” 

Hayes has curated enough material for a solo album - it’s just a case of timing.

"Whatever happens, my life today is full of wonder and joy, so there’s not much more I can ask
for."

Listen to 'Mosaic' below: