sign crushes motorist: "Sometimes I get embarrassed by my own lyrics when I’m singing them. I’m like, this guy needs to cheer up!"

sign crushes motorist, Take Care, Birth Day, Make His Ribs Show, Manta, Hold, Miserable Teens Club, Roaming, Death Trap and Moon Water are just some of the names of Liam McCay’s music projects. Combined, he has released six albums and boasts over 4.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone. So who is Liam McCay?

“I was born in Galway University Hospital,” he begins, “and when I was eight weeks old, we moved to Buncrana and I’ve been there since.”

Having learned to play the fiddle aged eight and grown up in a home where his parents listened to a lot of Simon and Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Depeche Mode, how did he land on slowcore as his genre of choice?

“The short answer is the internet,” he replies. “I came across some Duster songs and thought, this isn’t really like anything I had listened to before, so I started listening to all of their stuff.”

McCay is a very softly spoken, low-key guy who seems very unpretentious about his huge following. I ask why he thinks so many people are drawn to his music?

“Who knows… I’m trying to think of a bullshit answer here,” he laughs. “I’m just making music that I can relate to, and I feel like other people can as well. I don’t do anything crazy poetic in my songwriting, but I think some people like that.”

Releasing six albums in the last two years under three different pseudonyms, it’s safe to say Liam McCay is a prolific songwriter. Does he write music every day?

“It depends,” he replies.”I’ve done it less since I moved up to Belfast. I usually get a stroke of inspiration and then I can write five songs in a day. Well, that’s an exaggeration. We’ll say three songs in a day! Usually it doesn’t happen after a good thing in my life. You get what I’m talking about. I usually get inspiration when I’m feeling horrible and I just wanna get it out somehow.

“It depends how I’m feeling. Sometimes I don’t touch the guitar, other times I’m on it all day.”

Making music in the indie subgenre of slowcore (sombre, downbeat melodies, slow tempos and minimalist arrangements – think Duster, Low and Galaxie 500), his debut album i’ll be okay and its follow-up Hurting, are full of melancholic lyrics, such as, “I am a burden on everyone in my life / I don’t deserve anything / I will be alone forever.”

Is he comfortable being so vulnerable in his music?”

“I didn’t show it to anyone for that reason,” admits Liam. “I didn’t want people listening to it. It’s a very personal thing. I would show it to people online that I didn’t know because that didn’t matter. I didn’t show my friends for a while because it was so personal. I just write what I’m feeling and it turns out like that.”

McCay’s music is inherently intimate. He makes his music alone, at home in his bedroom. So, what’s it like taking that in front of a live audience?

“Sometimes I get embarrassed by my own lyrics when I’m singing them. I’m like, this guy needs to cheer up!”

His artist name, sign crushes motorist, comes from a Duster song – but does McCay purposely use pseudonyms for all his music projects to keep some level of anonymity?

“I don’t really care about it anymore,” he responds. “People who know me already know, so I don’t really mind. I like having a different vibe for each project rather than being anonymous, but I probably wouldn’t use my name on an album.”

Although his lyrics can be very melancholic, in person, McCay is a warm, level-headed, quick-witted young man. He plays his first headline show in Belfast this month, where he’s currently studying Computer Science at Ulster University.

“I don’t know if I want to do shows as my main thing, but it’s a lot of fun,” he says. “I’m just keeping my options open if anything. I want the college experience, you know?”

While millions of people his age are trying to establish themselves as influencers and would kill for his following, McCay has no interest in pushing his music through marketing and social media. “You see the numbers, but I’m not famous. It’s like a separate thing. I don’t want to be irritating people.”

While his live career is just about to kick off, his recording career is thriving. So why is it that McCay has already turned down record deals?

“This isn’t me being a wanker, but I really don’t need one at the minute,” he admits. “Something might change down the road. Usually you get an advance and some marketing from them. I don’t need an advance, I have enough money for college or whatever. Marketing wise? My music is doing pretty much how I want it to at the moment. I don’t want to be famous famous. I’m happy letting it truck along.”

Sign Crushes Motorist. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

What do his parents think of it all?

“It’s not really their thing but they like it,” he explains. “They’re proud of me, I’m sure. They’re supportive.”

When you hear his music, America comes to mind quicker than Donegal. How does McCay find being an artist in Ireland?

“It’s all through the internet for me,” he says. “I have a lot of American listeners. I wouldn’t say there’s a slowcore scene here, but that isn’t an issue because I do it all online.”

While we can’t divulge too much right now, it seems like North America might have a lot in store for sign crushes motorist this year.

“I love Ireland, I have my pride,” he says. “I’m glad to be Irish, I’ll say that much, but when I think about the future, I just don’t see myself living here. It’s not even a conscious thing, it just makes sense that I would be somewhere else. I’m going to the States this month for a holiday. Then maybe, hypothetically we could be touring the States in the summer, so I’ll see what it’s like there.”

Aside from conquering North America, what other hopes does McCay have for 2024?

“In the back of my head I’m always thinking about this,” he says. “You think I’ve done my best music so far? You don’t know anything! I’ve got an idea for my magnum opus, if you will. It’s gonna be a few years in the making, but I’ve got a few people in mind.”

He leans forward and shows me his hit list of artists on his phone: M83, Argo Nuff and producer extraordinaire BNYX to name a few.

“Argo Nuff makes ambient music and I’m a huge advocate for him,” says Liam. “I actually have one of his album covers tattooed on my arm! Hopefully I’ll pitch it to some of them this year to get the wheels in motion.”

Never taking himself too seriously he adds, “I’m hoping to do more comedy stuff…I like a joke… I like to laugh!”

• sign crushes motorist plays the Workman's Club, Dublin this Saturday, February 10.