A solitary piano line picks across a broken landscape shrouded and uncertain.  Somewhere in the distance, beyond unseen horizons, an upheaval is underway. Away to the west, a voice sounds: “Sometimes I’m the hurt one that’s for sure. But I’ve never had to face the fear of war”.

And so begins The Rest, the fifth studio album from Pearse McGloughlin and the third with his band, Nocturnes (Enda Roche & Billy Donohue). Emerging in the shadow of a circling chaos, The Rest is, on a personal level, a series of reflections on and explorations of our own small place in the world.
‘All that blossoms is not born in the black of winter’

Following 2016’s quietly introspective The Soft Animal, The Rest reveals new songs of remembrance and stories of hope. Meditative instrumentals, pocketed with electronics accompany bilingual exhalations that evoke old traditions and places. Life is hard, yes. And th e way forward, for now at least, is unclear. But we have perhaps been here before…
As the title suggests, The Rest nods to stepping back from the ever-present and the always-on to reflect on what really matters in life – while we still have the chance. In Garbhóg this reflection leads us to natural beauty. In Focus (play-listed by EIREWAVE) it is to the small pleasures of summertime with loved-ones – a sun-tinged hopefulness for the good times to return.

Though the scope of the record is at times universal, there are moments of personal reflection (Lúcháir), of collaboration (with Enda Reilly on Ag Ól, Ag Ól ag an Garbhóg) and a poignant requiem for a friend (Caretaker). On Whiskey Tree (which was written during a series of music workshops McGloughlin ran with people experiencing homelessness), there is admittedly a bleak enough tableau, but there is also the heart, friendship and shards of hope that shon e out amongst the group.
‘All hearts carry on’

“I was trying to paint an honest picture of the things they told me … and find some redemption there… there was a ‘Wishing Tree’ in one of the shelters with hopes written on it… that I mixed with a ‘whiskey tree’. When I sang them the line, ‘ a man on the street who likes his whiskey neat’ they loved that. More recently I added the line ‘All hearts carry on’ to ‘Whiskey Tree’. The same line appears in ‘Focus’… I wanted to use it as a leitmotif in the album, to emphasise the human capacity to adapt, to persevere…almost in spite of ourselves”

The Rest by Pearse McGloughlin & Nocturnes is out October 14th .

Track List:

• 1. Fear of War
• 2. Focus
• 3. Ag Ól ag Ól ag an Garbhóg
• 4. Golden Bliss
• 5. Arrow
• 6. Whiskey Tree
• 7. Betting Pool
• 8. Lúcháir
• 9. Caretaker

Enda Reilly played guitar and sang on Caretaker. Cello by Aonghus MacAmlaigh. Lead guitar on Betting Pool by Séan Lynch. Additional arrangement on Arrow by Billy Donohue. The Rest was recorded at Asta Kalapa studio in Wexford with additional recordings at Pearse’s home.