Ed O'Brien announces second solo album, Blue Morpho

2 days ago 4

Blue Morpho will be O'Brien's first release under his own name, following his 2020 solo debut Earth, which was released under his initials. Alongside the announcement of the new album, he unveils the title track, an uplifting number inspired by the healing effects of nature.

Blue Morpho, produced by Paul Epworth (Paul McCartney, Adele), sees O'Brien navigating deeply personal terrain. Quoting Kentucky poet and farmer Wendell Berry, he says, “To know the dark, go dark", which serves as a core principle of the album. After releasing Earth, O'Brien found himself struggling with a deep depression, but was encouraged by his wife to sit with his emotions. He went on to spend four years playing guitar in his London studio navigating his emotional trauma, with Blue Morpho serving as the product of that process.

The album features contributions from Shabaka Hutchings on flute, and strings performed by the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, as arranged by composer Tõnu Kõrvits. The album was completed between O’Brien’s studio in Wales and The Church Studios in London, with sessions engineered by Riley MacIntyre, sequencing from Flood, and mixing from Ben Baptie.