DUBLIN’S We Cut Corners were nominated for the Choice Music Prize for Irish album of the year 2011 with their debut album ‘Today I Realised the I Could Go Home Backwards’. Tours with The Maccabees, Villagers, Bell X1 and Frightened Rabbit came in its wake. Now the indie duo have released their new album, the more concisely titled ‘Think Nothing’.
John Duignan from We Cut Corners spoke to Limerick Post.
We Cut Corners are Conall O’Breachain and John Duignan, two Dublin based school teachers managing to develop their pop career around their work commitments. The duo met in teacher training college and have written music together since.
The title of the new album is the antithesis of their tongue twisting debut. John says, “Initially we wanted it to be a one word album title. At the end the album title ‘Think Nothing’ had the simplicity we were looking for and seemed to sum up the themes of the album escapism and isolation that people seem to suffer in the modern world.”
Think Nothing was recorded in Donegal with Villager’s guitarist/ producer, Tommy McLaughlin.
“It wasn’t until our Limerick show supporting Villagers that we actually met Tommy. We had demo’d all the songs. We were ready to make the record but were looking for a place to do it. Tommy had just opened a brand new studio, we consulted with him. He was up for the project and had a bit of time before going on tour with Villagers. It was a snap decision and we are really happy with the outcome, a polished sounding record.”
The record is mixed by renowned producer Ben Hillier who has worked with Blur, Depeche Mode, the Horrors and Elbow among other luminaries of indie music’s recent past. Think Nothing includes three songs for which the strings were scored by prolific contemporary Irish composer, John Buckley and recorded in Rathgar Methodist Church. Reflecting these collaborations, Think Nothing is a very different record from the first but still recognisably their own.
John says, “We wanted to have a record that sounded very different, we studied how people put out their second record, and the way in which they vary things up. We wanted to keep it very short and concise. It is identical to the first record, it is under half an hour but we wanted to contrast that with darker themes. Musically it might be a little bit darker as well.”
We Cut Corners play Seoda Shows, Cobblestone Joe’s this Friday May 2.
