23-year old Arlene Feeley has been earning kudos for her songwriting from many sources, including from RTE 2FM and BBC Radio ATL presenters.
And she joins Villagers, The Zutons, John Grant and a host of other acts on the bill for the Night and Day Music Festival in Castlerea, close to her hometown of Ballintubber, on 24th and 25th September.
The music of this Roscommon singer-songwriter comes with a blend of pop, soul, rock and urban beats, pulled together with electronic instruments.
And all of that talent is captured in her new single, Somebody Else, out this coming Friday.
From writing catchy melodies in her Ballintubber bedroom during lockdown to playing a ‘Sold Out’ headline show in Whelan’s of Duiblin last November, these last few months have been a particularly busy time for the artist who simply calls herself Arlene.
Arlene runs her own clothing outlet, Aquarius x Arlene, and also plays K-Fest in Kerry over the June Holiday weekend.
Produced by Stu Gray of Jealoustown Studios, where she also recorded her 2021 single Send Me Any Sign, Somebody Else features edgy raw vocals and strong bright synths, fitting directly into today’s pop sound while also maintaining a modern indie-rock vibe. It was mastered by Billy Farrell,
Lyrically telling the story of the classic ‘unsuccessful relationship’, Somebody Else describes a not-unusual love story.
Arlene cleverly inserts an actual phone call recording into the track, giving that feeling of real emotion to her audience.
“When I had the idea in my head, I wasn’t sure if it would work,” said Arlene.
“I tried to record the line straight into the mic and then add some fx, but it felt very forced. So instead, I called my brother, who was beside me at the time, and then he recorded me on loudspeaker using another phone. I then brought that to my producer and it went from there really. So yeah, it’s an actual phone vox recording!”
