Pa Sheehy: "I just wanted to create something cool. There were no rules, the pressure was off"

“The deeper I go, the more I realise the workload involved,” reflects Pa Sheehy.

At the time of our conversation, the Kerry native is on the cusp of a watershed moment – set to release his first full-length album as a solo artist since parting ways with chart-topping outfit Walking on Cars in 2020.

“I’m learning loads,” he continues. “The biggest challenge was being decisive – things were moving slowly because I was overthinking. I wanted things to feel organic too. With Walking On Cars, we focused on radio hits and anthems. They were great at the time, but now I cringe a little. This album is about creating something rich and long-lasting, something that feels real, which I can listen to 10 or 20 years from now.”

The debut LP in question, Maybe It Was All For This, fuses the artist’s pop sensibilities with a newfound knack for detailed storytelling.

“It’s developed that way,” he reflects. “My older stuff was more metaphorical. I’ve listened to a lot of Phoebe Bridgers in the last couple of years and I love the way she tells her stories, so I’ve become more detailed in my own. I just wanted to create something cool. There were no rules, the pressure was off.”

It’s a record rife with vivid recollections of growing up in Dingle, one example being ‘The Night The School Burnt Down’. The inspiration behind the tune, Sheehy explains, is as literal as it gets.

“I suppose it unintentionally seeps into my music – the mountains, the sea, the streets, and the people,” he notes. “There was an actual school that burned down, I don’t make this stuff up man! We were at a house party, and I got a text saying the school was on fire. We ran to see it and it was surreal. Not a lot of us particularly enjoyed school, so seeing that was a really weird moment.”

Sheehy’s relationships are also under the microscope, with ‘My Old Friend’ a powerful reflection on a close pal’s struggles with addiction.

“He’s one of those friends you just want to wrap in cotton wool, but you can’t,” says Pa. “It’s a very Irish theme, addiction, and that tune seems to resonate with a lot of people.”

It’s a subject which holds some personal weight with Sheehy himself.

“About three years into Walking On Cars, I stopped drinking,” he continues. “We had a show where two of us were drunk on stage. We were a bit of an embarrassment. After that, we drew a line in the sand and decided to stop drinking before shows. Alcohol had been a bit of a monkey on my back from my teenage years until my early twenties. A few different things happened in my life which made it the right decision to stop.”

Sobriety, Sheehy elaborates, significantly enhanced his professional and creative endeavours.

“Instead of drinking my emotions, I channelled them into my music. I kicked on once I got sober, songs were happening quicker. A lot of the tunes were about getting sober too, so I had a lot of inspiration to draw on.”

The album’s lyrical substance is matched by its decked-out arrangements. Boasting an eclectic mix of acoustic ballads and string-swathed numbers, the  sonic diversity is down to the LP’s nomadic construction.

“We recorded all over the place,” Sheehy says. “I did a bit in Black Mountain up in Dundalk, and there were some bits done in London, as well as County Clare. I felt spoiled with the musicians on the record too. I had different drummers, different string players and a couple of different guitarists. I didn’t want it all to sound the same, and having different people gives the songs different attitudes. I’m really happy with how it turned out.”

Set to hit the road across Ireland, the UK and Europe later this year, Sheehy will be calling on his experience opening for one of the greatest showmen to ever do it, having supported Bruce Springsteen at Hyde Park in July 2023.

“I just thought it was one of the best shows I’d ever seen,” Sheehy says of The Boss. “He’s in his seventies and he’s still got so much energy. It was a real moment that made me go, ‘Okay I can do so much better’, in terms of my own live shows. So I’ve been putting a lot of energy into making my gigs better.”

• Maybe It Was All For This is out now.