ARREN – Broken (2025)
One of the most intriguing aspects of ARREN is his way of blending vintage sounds with contemporary slants. Not a newbie to the Irish artist, ARREN has already enchanted our ears with his take on the ’90s rock sounds of Weezer, Radiohead, The Smashing Pumpkins, and U2. Despite being the solo project of Aaron Sean Moloney, ARREN has a hard-hitting, full-band rocking the stage live feeling to his music. The latest addition to his discography is the single ‘Broken’
Following his well-received tracks ‘Dreams We Missed’ and ‘It Takes One To Know One’, ARREN steps into 2025 with ‘Broken’. Joined by collaborators Toby Shane Roys, FER and Gary Duncan, who also produced the track, ‘Broken’ is seemingly a combination of retro indie-rock and folk-rock. Lying alongside the Gallagher brothers, there is a flair of Oasis melded with the tones of Mumford & Sons. I might offer these comparisons and reminiscences of established artists, but there is a divergence from those iconic names pulling a sound that is distinctly ARREN while layered with older bands.
Sophisticated and mature, Gary Duncan sprinkles his elegant production fairy dust across ‘Broken’, casting a spell on eager listeners. Yet, while the track brims with sophistication, vulnerability and fragility ooze from the soaring guitars, bold bass and ARREN’s rich vocals. Tapping his hat at difficult issues like mental health, ARREN explains:
“During the pandemic, my mental health suffered greatly, like so many others. ‘Broken’ is one of the songs that helped save me. To be honest, if I hadn’t been able to channel my thoughts into my music, I don’t know if I’d be here today. I can’t wait to share ‘Broken’ with everyone, and if it helps even one person feel less alone in their struggles, then I’ve achieved what I set out to do with this song.”
Find out more about ARREN on his official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
Listen to more indie-rock tunes on The Other Side Reviews Indie Rock playlist:
