The brainchild of Neil Eurelle, Dark Chromatic answers that age old conundrum: what do you do when the circus leaves town? I’m talking about Empire Circus: after a fateful run-in with American immigration put a dampener on the Dublin rockers’ plans a few years ago, they reluctantly went on hiatus, leaving their frontman to figure out his next move. Fast forward and that next move is his solo debut, which variously explores folk, alt-pop, indie, widescreen stadium rock, prog and more.

Telling tales of friendship, family, death, love, mental health struggles and rebirth, there’s much to love on this self-described soundtrack to the singer’s new life. ‘Run’ is a grandiose and gorgeous listen; ‘Porcelain’ is a soaring, stadium-ready slab of synth-y alt pop; and ‘Team’ harks back to his time as ringmaster for Empire Circus. Best of the lot is ‘The Dark Chromatic’: clocking in at nearly eight minutes, and built around a riff reminiscent of ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, this marvellous labyrinth is worth the price of admission alone.

Out now.

https://open.spotify.com/album/0vzEJWXxjDThSu19uCCLD6