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WORDS Andrew Lambert PHOTO Rory Ryan whether they
were writing the tunes because they were just lazy like I was! A lot of these songs I was writing to suit my vocals. I would have sung previously in bands, but I never liked it that much. I never had much confidence in trying to be a singer, but it kinda comes with the territory.” It sounds almost as if he’s describing vocal duties as a necessary evil, I observe to his amusement. “Well it’s not evil, but a necessary part of expressing the things you want to within your music, whatever they may be,” he allows after some consideration. Mod makes up for the lack of credit he awards himself by showering heaps of praise on producer Bill Ryder-Jones, co-founder of The Coral and influential songwriter and composer in his own right. He helped to shape the feel of the album in much the same way as his immaculately created solo LP’s. Having written the tracks that made up Honeycomb and recorded demos in a friend’s studio, Mod’s sense that they needed an extra layer of magic led to him sending the songs to Ryder-Jones, who was drawn to the sound. “I knew I wanted him to do it,” says Mod with what you’d imagine to be the sort of well-founded conviction that led to forming this partnership of kindred spirits. When Mod positively gushes about the “wonderfully designed piece of work” that is Ryder-Jones’ 2013 release A Bad Wind Blows in My Heart (“the songs draw you in and they seem quite simple, but once you zoom in there is so much going on”), he unknowingly describes one of his favourite records in terms which are uncannily suited to sum-up Honeycomb’s best moments. For this, he points to Ryder-Jones: “I understood his attitude towards the work before going into the studio with him, and he knew what I wanted. He added some stuff to some of the tunes that I couldn’t imagine them being without now. He took them to places I didn’t think they would go, with the mood that he incorporated.” Another major element of the recording process was its tight timeframe. Mod, Ryder-Jones and a small collection of musicians and engineers worked together for a ten-day turnaround that Oisin believes was hugely beneficial to the final result. Without a chance to overthink any of the tracks, it was all “easy going” according to Mod, allowing for a clean operation that resulted in something which he confessed himself happy with. As for whether he’d take this approach on future recordings, he remains coy on the prospect of how any Oisin Mod album may feel or sound down the line. “It would depend on the songs to be honest, and on all the other varying circumstances that go with recording an album. I’d have to have a handful of tunes written and then just decide, go with whatever felt better. I want to do whatever I have the appetite for when it comes to it. I don’t want to feel like I have to go and make a particular type of album, because if I try to squeeze something out or continue drinking from this well, then it could end up being shocking. We’ll just have to wait and see.” It’s a fitting way to wrap up an intriguing encounter with one of the more enigmatic artists emerging on the independent Irish scene in 2022. Whatever the future may hold for Oisin Mod, Honeycomb is a pitch perfect way to make an introduction. Honeycomb is out on Friday August 19, via OMOD. linktr.ee/oisinmod @oisinmod 43