California Irish, featuring The Answer's Cormac Neeson, release debut single 'Big Questions'

Belfast-based band California Irish, fronted by Cormac Neeson of The Answer, have released their debut single 'Big Questions'.

The track blends 60s Americana with a modern twist, influenced by the sounds of Laurel Canyon and recorded using analogue techniques.

Neeson, who serves as the seven-piece's lead singer and main songwriter, hand-picked the members based on long-standing friendships and their shared experiences in Belfast's music scene.

The line-up features Cormac Neeson alongside Susy Coyle, Donal Scullion, Chris Kelly, James Doone, Simon Templeton, and Conor McCauley.

'Big Questions' is the first single revealed from their upcoming album The Mountains Are My Friends.

The band, who chose a live-to-tape recording process at Middle Farm Studios, opted for analogue methods, creating a sound that showcases a warmth often lost in modern techniques.

Neeson shares: "This album is the opposite of boring AI-generated no soul perfection. We recorded this album in a room together over four days allowing the music to breathe when it needed to, looking at each other for our cues and feeding off each other’s energy. It felt like a dream…but it’s the most real thing I’ve ever done in music.

"That Laurel Canyon sound of the late 60s, epitomised by the early Crosby Stills Nash and Young stuff, and the first few Joni Mitchell records, has always felt otherworldly and magical. On our album we’ve tried to access some of that beauty and create our own magic by combining brand new music with an old school recording process.”

Listen to 'Big Questions' below: