Just ahead of their eagerly anticipated EP To Cast the Sea in Concrete, set for release on 5th November, Cork rising stars Pebbledash have shared their latest single, the haunting indie-folk sweller ‘O, The Wind’. The track arrives as the band prepares to hit the road on a headline UK and Ireland tour, running through 25th November.
Following a recent sync on the new Netflix series House Of Guiness, ‘O, The Wind’ showcases the genre-blurring sound that has made Pebbledash one of Ireland’s most exciting new acts. Led by the ethereal, emotive vocals of Asha Egan McCutcheon, the track unfolds into a dark, immersive soundscape, fusing elements of traditional Irish folk, shoegaze, and post-punk. Fingerpicked electric guitars intertwine with atmospheric swells of strings and synth, warm basslines, and driving, shuffling drums, creating a mesmerizing haze of reverberated echoes and subtle field recordings.
Speaking about the track, Cormac Donovan O’Neill said:
“I think we all felt that this song represented a major departure for Pebbledash in terms of the barriers of genre we were willing to cross.”
The song opens with Asha’s lyrics exploring urban isolation and surrealism, delivered in the ornamented style of traditional sean nós, accompanied only by the soft hum of a harmonium and a sparse guitar figure from Fionnbharr. From there, the rhythm section propels the track into unexpected territory, drawing comparisons to the off-kilter grooves of DJ Shadow or Portishead, before returning to a quiet, haunting finale where Asha’s vocals float over Terry Riley-esque arpeggios and eerie sampled voices.
“We were incredibly excited to share this song as a statement of our development, attesting to the outer reaches of our sound we sought to explore in recording this EP,” Cormac added.
Pebbledash have steadily built a reputation for both their live shows and recorded output, earning support from BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio X, and RTE. Their music has also featured prominently in editorial playlists, including Spotify’s New Music Friday UK, Melomania, Fresh Folk, and Fresh Finds.
With To Cast the Sea in Concrete and ‘O, The Wind’, Pebbledash continue to push boundaries, delivering an expansive, genre-defying sound that is as emotionally stirring as it is sonically adventurous.