Album Review: Ryan McMullan, Redesign

Since the release of his first single in 2015, Portaferry native Ryan McMullan has garnered worldwide attention touring with the likes of Snow Patrol, Kodaline and Ed Sheeran. He’s sold out headline shows across the UK and Europe and enjoyed a string of ultra-successful singles. And yet, Redesign marks McMullan’s first full studio album – to say it’s long-awaited would be a grand understatement.

A lot of these songs sound warmly familiar, with the singles ‘Us’ and ‘Static’ feeling like instant classics. There’s a joyous, celebratory quality to the former, which is reminiscent of Springsteen’s ‘Dancing In The Dark.’ The quick percussion and ambient snares bleed into ‘Bowie On The Radio,’ where McMullan’s voice soars.

Elsewhere, he showcases a knack for brutally honest lyricism on back-to-back tunes ‘Flailing’ and ‘Episodes’, which find him in reflective and questioning mood, struggling with how he presents himself to the public as a performer. Big choruses are also a feature of Redesign, particularly ‘Wilder’ and ‘Real Love’, the latter featuring piercing, ethereal vocals from Niamh Dunne.

On the closing ‘It Never Mattered’, meanwhile, McMullan’s powerful voice builds to a final, cathartic crescendo. While Redesign may have been a long time coming, it’s here now – and this gem of a debut was well worth the wait.

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