Northern Ireland Music Prize-winning artist Ciaran Lavery has marked his return with a gritty new single, titled 'Can I Begin Again.'

It's an introspective piece of indie rock that sees Lavery at his most visceral as he diverges into a darker sound.

Speaking on the track, he said: "'Can I Begin Again' was written under the encouragement of my therapist to write everything down, whether it’s rational or irrational, to just get it all on to paper. The song is for anyone, who either in their personal or professional life, have spent too long servicing the needs of others, putting their own thoughts and feelings second."

'Can I Begin Again' will be featured on his upcoming fourth album, due for release later this year. The album was inspired by Mitski's Be the Cowboy, Thom Yorke's The Eraser and Beastie Boys' Ill Communication.

“I knew there needed an urgency in the songs that were being created in order to balance the nakedness of the lyrics,” he says of the upcoming album. “It’s the Joy Division
trick of making people dance while you punch them in the gut with the true message - which I love.”

The new release follows his critically-acclaimed 2018 album Sweet Decay. His music has been well-loved, with track 'Shame' amassing a whopping 54 million streams on Spotify.

Stream the song below.