After a decade living in Dublin and playing in the band Mongoose, Molly O’Mahony returned home to West Cork, refining her craft and ruminating about her time spent in the capital during the 2010s.    

It was time well spent. Her excellent debut album, The House Of David, lurches from innocence to experience, perfectly capturing the arrival of a wide-eyed youth into an “alive and teeming” city, where she roamed “like a hungry hound”. With a razor-sharp eye for detail, she recalls battles fought, friendships forged and hearts broken. 

The Leonard Cohen-like ‘The House Of David’ is an exquisite paean to Dublin, while  ‘Her Song’ – reminiscent of Carly Simon – repeats the trick. Molly falls in love with someone and the city: late mornings in bed and afternoon strolls around The Liberties, followed by drinks at seven and noodles on Capel Street at eight. 

Sweet domesticity is depicted masterfully on ‘Tomorrow’s Lunch’, while ‘Velvet Morning’ deftly documents the painful break-up. ‘Remember To Be Brave’ is the phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes finale, the bruised-but-wise O’Mahony advising, “Remember kindness is king / And if you don’t stray away from bravery, compassion will find its way in.” Mighty stuff.

Listen: 'Remember To Be Brave'
Score: 9/10

Out now, self-released. Stay tuned for a brand new interview with Molly O'Mahony on Hotpress.com.

Read more album reviews in the new issue of Hot Press, out now.