Former vocalist and songwriter with Irish folk act The Hard Ground, Pat Carey, has launched a brand new solo project How I Became A Wave. The outfit's debut single 'Fading Out' has just been released, painting an intimate portrait of grief in the process.

Part of a new wave of collaborative contemporary folk music from Ireland, the song 'Fading Out' features a hugely talented array of artists - including Cork composer Cormac McCarthy, Maria Ryan (Strung, Crash Ensemble), Aoife Burke, Matthew Berrill (Niamh Regan) and Brian Casey (Screenreader, John Blek).

As with many projects born in 2020, the single was recorded in the studio and remotely in the homes of featured artists. The song blends an intimacy of vocals with a richness of texture that hints at a more cinematic sound to come.

Inspired by the Max Porter book Grief Is The Thing With Feathers, 'Fading Out' is rooted in the day to day impact of grief - the dullness, the unrelenting push and pull of loss. It's about how the grinding daily press of absence can wear you down, and how we react to that.

Cork-based band The Hard Ground previously garnered a national following and critical acclaim with the release of two albums in 2012 and 2015 (Triptych). Since stepping away from The Hard Ground, Carey has been heavily involved in various elements of the Irish Music scene, including with Right Here Right Now Festival and Cork Opera House.

The upcoming How I Became A Wave album is set to feature multiple collaborations between some of Ireland's finest musicians, composers and songwriters including Clare Sands, David Murphy, Davie Ryan, Hugh Dillon and more. Each song on the album is coloured by the unique conversations taking place between the artists, writing, recording and creating in isolation from each other.

"It's been a very different experience in terms of collaborating remotely. I recorded my parts initially in Wavefield studios in Clonakilty in pre-lockdown days, and I'm looking forward to getting back down there to finish off the album recording," Pat tells Hot Press.

"Everything else on top of that was recorded remotely - piano, strings and bass clarinet. Choosing the artists that you work with becomes hugely important as there has to be a strong sense of trust when your interaction is based solely on conversations, and not based on being physically present in the room together. But that also opens up loads of creative possibilities, once you have established that sense of trust," Pat continues.

"Cormac McCarthy, who wrote all of the string and clarinet parts is a fantastic collaborator and has such a complimentary style of writing, keeping the song in the centre of the process - leaving it breathe, and building all around it."

Stay tuned for How I Became A Wave's debut album, due to be released this coming autumn.

Watch the beautiful black-and-white video for 'Fading Out' below:

Photo credit: Bríd O'Donovan