We’ve caught Conor O’Brien on a choc-a-bloc morning. He’s gearing up for the September release of his fourth official album as Villagers, The Art of Pretending to Swim, and is just back from a media blitz in Spain (“14 interviews in one day”).

This afternoon, meanwhile, some English journalists are flying in for a tour of the city, with O’Brien as guide. But before that, there’s time for a natter with Hot Press as he looks forward to performing at the All Together Now festival at gorgeous Curraghmore Estate in Waterford.

“Yeah, I’m about to do this thing where I show them around Dublin,” he says of the impeding chinwag with a UK music glossy. “I’m trying to figure out what to show them – not to make it all pubs. Maybe I’ll show them cathedrals or something vaguely cultural.”

After a bit of a hiatus, O’Brien has been easing Villagers back into the public consciousness. They put in a barnstorming set supporting The National on one of their Energia Park residencies in early July. Hot Press observes that O’Brien and his band would have blown the roof off the place had it actually had a roof.

“I’m glad you liked it. That was fun. I was dying to do more of the new songs – though that’s a bit of a no-no at this stage. Once we got into the rhythm I thought it ended a bit early. A week later we were in Poland for a festival and could do more of the new songs. It kind of blew my mind - people were dancing and boogying.”

If dancing and boogying to Villagers strikes you as a contradiction in terms, then O’Brien has a surprise in store with The Art of Pretending To Swim showcasing a different side to the Dun Laoghaire songwriter. It’s no shock, really, that he’s keen to switch things-up, as 2015’s Darling Arithmetic found the singer in a starkly confessional mode.

Darling Arithmetic was widely received as his “coming out” album. And while it’s a bit tragic that the media should be making a fuss about a musician’s orientation in this day and age, O’Brien was nonetheless fully prepared to discuss the material, and its very personal inspiration when going out to bat for the LP.

Was it bruising to have to field the same predictable questions over and over?

“My brain works in a weird way. The whole public aspect of what I do is purely controlled by what I write and where my artistic life is going. Once I have an album I’m happy to talk about it whatever subconscious side has shaped it. [Discussing his personal life] was really healthy and cathartic. I’m very open with my friends and family and stuff. When it comes to people I don’t know – then, I’m very reactive. I find interviews weird – if I don’t like the other person, I’ll totally clam up. If I really like them, I’ll tell them everything.”

Fortunately he hasn’t yet clammed up for Hot Press, so it’s as good a time as any to inquire about his recent collaboration with Paul Weller. The Mod icon invited O’Brien to chime in with lyrics and production on his upcoming 14th solo album, True Meanings, the arrival of which will mark Weller’s 60th birthday.

“Stanley Road was a massive record for me,” says O’Brien. “I learned pretty much every song off that when I was learning guitar. Then I went back and got into The Jam. Me and my buddy would go to that bootleg record store on Wicklow Street. We’d go there and get loads of Jam bootlegs and VHS tapes and go home and drink tea and watch them over and over.”

Listening to Jam bootlegs while drinking tea sounds like the best fun ever, obviously. But how did O’Brien get along with Weller in person? Speaking from personal experience, he can be slightly terrifying up close.

“I’ve heard a few people say that,” says O’Brien. “I was genuinely surprised – I found him almost more relaxed than I could have even imagined. He was quite chill and seemed like a very relaxed dude. I was gushing about certain Jam b-sides and the like and he was… ‘how did you know about that song?’”

As we’re talking All Together Now and festivals, it feels timely to inquire whether O’Brien has any funny stories to share regarding Villagers and their adventures on the summer circuit.

“We were drowned out by Dizzee Rascal once. It was a festival in the UK, possibly Reading,” he laughs. “We were literally playing to the sound of Dizzee Rascal being louder than us. It was okay. I actually saw him later at catering. He seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t start a feud with him.”
The Art of Pretending To Swim is released on September 21.