Fortune Favours The ’Fold - Storyfold Interview

Storyfold aren’t about to disown their debut album. However you can tell that, had they their time over, they would have gone about things differently. It’s a lesson they have heeded as, three years later, they prepare to unleash the follow-up, It's Later Than You Think.

“We were still very green,” says frontman Paddy McKenna (you may know him from his day-job as 2fm presenter).
This time, he says, things will be different.
“We have been listening to it while waiting for it to come out, and I can honestly say there isn’t a track on the album that I’m sick of, or feel that shouldn’t be there.
“That’s nice to be able to say; the last time, that wasn’t the case. The first track on that album... we haven’t played since launch night.”
Spending time with the new LP, it’s easy to hear why there’s more assuredness this time. Leading off with recent single ‘The Lost And The Lonely’ and closing with the six-minute epic ‘Running Out Of Light’, it’s an album which brings together the individual influences of the band – a record that feels like a journey.
“We’ve stopped second-guessing ourselves,” says Paddy. “A band that’s disagreed on a lot of things in the past is agreeing that bit more. That’s backwards, in one way, because most bands start out on the same page and end up disagreeing later!”
Not that it was an easy path, of course.
“There’s blood sweat and tears in this album,” the singer adds. “We have fought – quite literally – to be where we are right now. We’ve agonised over songs for so long; sometimes it’s constructive, sometimes destructive. Our band is a dysfunctional family.”
From ' 80s synth pop to classic Dire-Straits guitar rock, there’s a wealth of styles and influences. The frontman acknowledges it’s no accident. “That was something we wanted, to make it a different listen. Being a democracy and all, I guess things can creep in. We feel this album is our calling card.”
There’s a sense Storyfold are chomping at the bit to kick on from here; when conversation turns to new material, they confess that a recent jam session saw two brand new cuts written. At this point, though, the band is happy to enjoy the moment.
“We’re delighted to get the album out there,” Michael Fortune (guitar) says. “And now, we just want to play some rock’n’roll!”

It's later Than You Think is out now. Storyfold play The Set Theatre, Kilkenny on October 18 and The Kasbah Social Club, Limerick on October 24.