Ahead of releasing their sophomore album Lúireach, which lands on 7th June, Landless have shared the LP’s first single, ‘The Fisherman’s Wife.’

Known for their unaccompanied four-part harmonies and gloomy reimaginings of traditional folk songs, Landless comprises the powerhouse vocals of Lily Power, Méabh Meir, Ruth Clinton and Sinéad Lynch.

 

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Working once again with John ‘Spud’ Murphy - ØXN member and producer for Lankum, Junior Brother, Ye Vagabonds, et al - ‘The Fisherman’s Wife’ sees the quartet deftly maintaining the gloomy textures and modern take on the sean-nós tradition which have become their calling cards, while exploring new sonic variations and subdued instrumentation.

Accompanying the single is a suitably arresting film, directed by Lankum’s Cormac MacDiarmada and Landless’ own Ruth Clinton.

Recalling the saturated dreamscapes of a David Lynch film, the video offers a glimpse of an alternate plane of existence with illusive shots that melt into suggestive, translucent cues.

With lyrics by Ewan MacColl, set to a traditional Scots tune, the song conveys the quiet despair of a fisherman’s wife resigned to the frequent absence of her husband, lapsing into self-pity but rather extending an underlying feeling of pride at her lot in life.

But Landless’ arrangement negates this 'pitiful' view in favour of the empowering one. The quartet’s elaborations and deconstructions of melody are resplendent and ethereal, offering alternate routes forward from tradition, ones that don’t require plugging in at all.

“Frequently in traditional songs women are described as a passive love interest, in terms of their relationship to a male character,” Landless remarks. “It is refreshing to find songs that challenge this power dynamic, but we are not totally hard-line about it, and sing plenty of old-fashioned love songs.”

‘The Fisherman’s Wife’ is a dazzling lead single that only heightens the anticipation for their sophomore album, Lúireach, which you can pre-order an pre-save here. One thing is for sure, June cannot come soon enough.