Album Review: Conor Furlong - 'Recurring Dream'

Dublin-based musician Conor Furlong has been described as “prolific”, and having released four albums in the last seven years it’s easy to see why: most musicians would deem themselves lucky if they had enough material for two or three in that time. 

Impressively, Furlong wrote, produced, arranged and performed all of his latest album, Recurring Dream, himself. The 10 tracks are written with his musical influences firmly in mind. Taking inspiration from a wide range of art and musical legends – including R.E.M., Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, David Bowie, Hitchcock, Salvador Dali and Monet (to name but a few) – Furlong boasts an expansive sound that sits somewhere between grunge and synth-pop.

Early single ‘Teenage Fantasies’ explores a hazy combination of dream-pop and grunge, while ‘Are You Gonna Sleep Tonight’ has echoes of Morrissey and The Smiths. To these ears, the album is at its most successful when the arrangements are stripped back, as on the languorous ‘Enough’. The songwriting gets a bit muddled on the heavier tracks, and the record has its derivative moments. Overall, however, Recurring Dream is a highly enjoyable listen. 

Listen: 'Teenage Fantasies'

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