Ellie O’Neill announces debut album, Time of Fallow

1 week ago 9

The announcement arrives after previous singles "Bohemia" and "Little Sister" which arrived last year, as well as "Anna with the Silver Arrow" released just last month. "Half Immune" sees O'Neill explore the feeling of being stuck halfway through something while hoping for release, and was recorded late at night, unfiltered to include background interruptions.

O’Neill recorded most of Time of Fallow across 10 days during the pandemic after moving back into her family home, an environment that offers a contrast to the quiet, “gloaming” quality of her music. “I think it’s good to smash the ‘cabin in the woods’ myth,” she notes. She learned the songs at night, and would play them after everyone went to sleep.

The songs on the album serve as a collection of memories for O'Neill, centring around a time in which she was understanding her identity as a queer person, dealing with the loss of love and leaning into the grieving process. “I cried a lot all throughout it," she explains.

Alongside that process, Time of Fallow also recounts moments during a time in which Ireland legalised gay marriage and repealed the abortion ban, offering a more open perspective for O'Neill. “It took all this to see it wasn’t about that person, but it was about me and the wider world. It was a portal for me to learn through," she adds, speaking of the album's themes.

Coinciding with the release of the album, O'Neill is set to play shows at Dublin's Bello Bar (10 April), as well as Horse Hospital (16 April) and Ivy House (17 April) in London, with additional shows scheduled in Manchester and Leeds.