Rituals is the debut solo album from the critically-acclaimed Mayo songwriter Niall McCabe. It fuses traditional Irish and folk music together in what is a heart-warming collection.

Buoyed by a romantic melody, ‘Lost Boys’ sees McCabe adding emotional weight with each syllable sung. Featuring similarly strong vocals, ‘Midas Touch’ and ‘Dawn’ could both feature on long-distance driving playlists. The soft melodic expression in ‘Tornado’, with its hypnotising guitar motif, is propelled along in mesmerising fashion, while the melancholy ‘Superman’ features rustic acoustic guitar.

In a change of mood, the foreboding atmosphere of ‘November Swell’ encapsulates the hardship of personal struggle. Venturing back to his roots with ‘Little Sister’, McCabe sings, “When blaming yourself is the only way you know / Well, tell me / What else can you do?” It’s a fitting conclusion to this haunting collection. 

Listen: ‘Lost Boys’
Score: 7/10

Read more album reviews in the Hot for 2023 issue, out now.