North Dublin native Aoife Nessa Frances has shared the single and accompanying video for 'This Still Life', the third offering from her sophomore album Protector.

According to the musician herself, "The song is about the juxtaposition of feeling small in an endless universe while reflecting on the significance of my own birth and existence. It’s about learning to move slowly through the world, listening to nature, and trusting that I can find my answers within."

The floating sonics of 'This Still Life' land with visuals directed by Ella Margolin and follow on the heels of the lead single 'Way To Say Goodbye'.

Speaking further about how the idea for 'This Still Life' came together Aoife shares: "My friend Adrian Crowley was in the middle of getting the artwork together for his album The Watchful Eye of the Stars, and he showed me a photo he had taken for the cover - a still life of different objects including nails, a seahorse, ash and shells. Later on I dreamt I was swimming in the sea close to dark somewhere off the coast of Mayo. I looked up at the sky and saw his album cover looking back at me. It appeared real; the seahorse and nail on the horizon with all the planets and stars made of stone and ash.

"In the dream, I asked Adrian about it and he told me it wasn’t a still life after all, but actually the sky when seen at night in a special part of Mayo from a particular angle, when you walk out to the Atlantic Ocean. It was to be kept a secret because the world wasn’t ready to know about it yet. I wrote 'This Still Life' the next day, and a week later began recording Protector with my band."

Protector follows Aoife's debut full-length album Land of No Junction, which released in 2020 and features the stand-out songs 'Blow Up' here and 'Here in the Dark'. Francis worked on her second LP after packing up her things in Dublin and moving to rural County Clare.

Recording took place in a small house in County Kerry, at the foothills of the Annascaul, with Brendan Jenkinson (producer, keys, bass, synth, clarinet), Brendan Doherty (drums), Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh (string arrangements) and Conor O'Brien (horn arrangements).

Pre-order Protector here, out October 28th via Partisan Records.

Watch the video for 'This Still Life', directed by Ella Margolin, below.

IRISH TOUR DATES:

23 November - Ulster Sports Club, Belfast
24 November - Whelans, Dublin
25 November - Dolans, Upstairs, Limerick
26 November - Roisin Dubh, Galway
27 November - Quiet Lights, Coughlans Bar, Cork