Emerging "retro-indie" singer songwriter Papa Boyle has released his debut single, Between Two Fools. We asked him the BIG questions . . .
Papa takes inspiration from the retro sounds of the '50s and 60’s rock `n’ roll era (Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers) with a tinge of modern Indie (Father John Misty, Angel Olsen, Kings Of Leon, Orville Peck).
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"I found these older songs had a lovely simplicity to them that allowed the vocal and instruments to have their moment in the spotlight and this is something I wanted to try and achieve in my song," he says.
At the time of writing the song, I found myself listening to some more country-leaning music like Chris Stapleton and Orville Peck.
"This inspired me to track some lap steel guitar on this record, which was my first time to do so, the acoustic and electric guitar have a mixture of tones old and new which I think gives the track a retro indie feel."
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I'm a Dublin-based artist and my debut single is coming out in a few weeks, which is a bit surreal and exciting at the same time. I'm looking forward to 2024 being a busy and productive year. I have a slight addiction to collecting guitars and pedals with the latest being a lap steel guitar. I'm really enjoying experimenting with it at the moment. I love TV and film, especially music documentaries that I can learn from.
How would you describe your music?
I'm calling the genre for the songs retro indie. It can be hard to label things but I feel the songs are heavily influenced by the 50s and 60s. I also listen to a lot of modern artists across a multitude of genres which probably gives my music a contemporary feel at the same time.
Who are your musical inspirations?
As you can probably tell by now it's quite a mix. I love older artists like Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and many more artists and genres across that era of music. I find the arrangements of the songs beautiful and ambitious from that time. In more recent years the likes of Father John Misty, Angel Olsen, Chris Stapleton, Orville Peck and Kings Of Leon have been consistent throughout parts of my life especially the latter. I think everyone has one of those bands they've grown up with. I've also found myself inspired by the likes of Hermanos Gutierrez and Khruangbin, who both create these lovely instrumental landscapes.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
My first real gig experience was Oxegen 2008. I went with two of my friends, we were that young at the time we had to go with one of our friend's dads and get signed in to gain entry to the festival. We parked ourselves in the pit area for the whole day and took turns at toilet breaks and shop runs, not for pints but for cans of coke or sweets to ensure we didn't lose our spots in a pit that wasn't busy until late into the evening. Editors, Interpol and Kings Of Leon were the payoffs for such dedication, we got to see those bands arguably at the peak of their powers. It's funny to look back at such innocent times.
What was the first record you ever bought?
It was Gorillaz's self-titled debut album. The imagery and animation is what initially caught my eye but it was the whole package the tunes were and are still great to this day.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Tile By Tile by Alvvays is a hauntingly beautiful song that I've found myself going back to a few times of late. If I can be greedy and also mention White Horse by Chris Stapleton, especially the live performance at the CMAs. It's worth a watch - check it out!
Favourite lyric of all time?
"There must be peace and understanding sometime, Strong winds of promise that will blow away the doubt and fear" from If I Can Dream by Elvis Presley, written by Walter Earl Brown. I love the performance of the song; the lyrical content is just as relevant today as it was back then.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
This is a tough one but I would probably go with Spanish Sahara by Foals, it's a seven-minute track so I think it's safe to say I would get more longevity out of those listens and it's also a great tune that is also a bit nostalgic for me!
Where can people find your music/more information?
On all major streaming platforms Spotify, YouTube, Apple etc. You can also stay up to date on all my shenanigans, gigs and new releases on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.
Alan Corr
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