Album Review: How I Became A Wave, How I Became A Wave

Across its nine tracks, How I Became A Wave sends listeners out past the breakers to float in the open sea. Formerly of Cork indie outfit The Hard Ground, Pat Carey defines his new project with lyrical lucidity and a sense of humanity. Add the lush arrangements of Cormac McCarthy, and the result is understated yet resplendent – and deeply compelling.

Carey’s vocals evoke Chris Martin in Coldplay’s early years: warm, honest and free of affectations. His songwriting feels confessional even when it veers into the metaphorical, like when he’s “fixing locks on cuckoo clocks so they don’t make a sound” on ‘Zero Sum’; or “polished up to blue” on ‘05:00’. Notable is his frequent description of colour, which grounds the album amidst more abstract imagery.

Every track is strong, but ‘The Stray’ is a standout, a tender collection of couplets sung like a grown-up nursery rhyme. It builds to a soundscape rich with banjo, synth and pedal steel guitar, while maintaining an even, three-time rhythm that echoes the meticulousness of its measured rhyme scheme.

And though Carey’s “work is bleaching bones” and his “word is smashing stones”, there’s a glimmer to his voice that cuts through the emotional churn. He may have become a wave, sure, but sooner or later, we know he’ll wash up safely onshore.

8/10