Veteran Irish act Stoat have released their new album, I Contain Multitudes. We asked them the BIG questions . . .
Stoat has been running more or less continuously since the late 80s. I Contain Multitudes was recorded in the band members' homes and mixed by Grammy nominees Chris O’Brien and Graham Murphy.
The band say, "The album is about seeing the world as it truly is - the absurdity, the mundanity, the whimsy, the dread, the disappointments and the delights - and still managing to love it.
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Tell us three things about yourself . . .
Cormac: The musical project that we call Stoat has been running more or less continuously since the late 80s.
A lot of what keeps us in orbit around the band is our enduring friendship, but underlying everything is genuine artistic endeavour.
Our new album, I Contain Multitudes, is about seeing the world as it truly is - the absurdity, the mundanity, the whimsy, the dread, the disappointments and the delights - and still managing to love it.
How would you describe your music?
Cormac: We make playful alt pop/indie rock, trying to cope with the seriousness of reality in a light-hearted way.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Cormac: In the 80s we wanted to be the next U2. In the 90s we wanted to be like Tom Waits - successful but not mainstream, with a singular vision. In the 00s we wanted to be like Fugazi - fiercely independent underground icons. In the 10s I found myself in a rural bar band playing Sweet Caroline with everyone in the place roaring along with every word, and having The Time Of My Life, So, now in the 20s … I don’t know if we have inspirations anymore. We just want people to sing along.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Stephen: Sabbath and Xentrix in McGonagles on the 2 June 1989. I was 13, I borrowed a friend’s Anthrax t-shirt so I would look the part.
What was the first record you ever bought?
John: A Day at the Races - Queen.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Jamie: Jogging by Richard Dawson. Like a lot of people, I initially assumed it was autobiographical. But apparently he actually hates jogging. It being fiction makes it more impressive somehow.
Favourite lyric of all time?
John: Impossible to answer, but one that I love: "A sickroom hush/a holiday glow/whither thou goest/I will go - the opening lines of Whither Thou Goest by Bonnie Prince Billy.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
John: Either Misty or Lake Tahoe by Kate Bush - both on 50 Words for Snow.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Our website has links to all our stuff on streaming/socials/etc. YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook.
Alan Corr
