On the first of two 2022 albums, Dublin artist James Vincent McMorrow is looking to the future by relaxing into his past. Opening with ethereal gospel harmonies, the eight-track The Less I Knew makes fine use of choral backing vocals and sweeping refrains.

“I got lines, I got jokes, I got time enough to tell it all,” he notes on the warm and optimistic ‘Hurricane’. On the soaring ‘Steven’, meanwhile, the singer describes the liberating feeling of shrugging off expectations. Though gently delivered, the declarations on the title track still pack a punch: “Is this what it takes to be impossibly great?” 

Elsewhere, the catchy ‘The Reason I Died’ channels noughties indie-rock, while ‘Lighten Up’ mischievously queries, “What are the five worst things you’ve heard about me?” Though ‘Heads Look Like Drums’ is perhaps a little too quaint, ‘I Am A Masterpiece’ is raw enough to compensate. 

It all concludes with ‘A Lot To Take’, which is built around an infectious bluesy guitar riff. Overall, The Less I Knew should delight the McMorrow faithful.

Listen: ‘A Lot to Take’
7/10

Out now via Faction Records.

Revisit our recent interview with James Vincent McMorrow here.