Roving Crows – Wild Atlantic Woman (2025)
What began as a simple meeting between guitarist Paul O’Neill and fiddle player Caitlin Barrett at a festival in 2007 soon developed into a flowing river of fanciful music, and it hasn’t stopped yet. Joined by Jim Smith (bass and vocals) and Laurence Aldridge (drums and vocals), Roving Crows bring the feistiness, cheekiness and all-round charm of Irish folk-rock to our ears. With four albums, rave reviews, and inspiring international tours from the UK to Australia, it’s safe to say Roving Crows are sweeping across with a senses-ensnaring wing of sound. The latest addition to their discography is the single ‘Wild Atlantic Woman’.
If you’ve ever found yourself staring across the Atlantic Ocean, or just taking a gander at pictures, you’ll understand its ferocity, tumultuousness, but also a sense of savage beauty. Taken from Roving Crows upcoming album UNITE, set for release in October this year, ‘Wild Atlantic Woman’ cuts to the core of surrendering to nature – to a “slower pace of life” outside of the city rat-race. Written during lockdown when O’Neill and Barrett decided to move back to Ireland, the wildness of home “got into their bones and ‘Wild Atlantic Woman’ was born”.
Produced and recorded with Dave Draper amidst the rolling hills of Worcestershire, ‘Wild Atlantic Woman’ shifts from the heavier rock tone of 2024’s ‘Move Over’ to a traditional Irish folk-rock sound. Capturing the roots of the single’s birth, Barrett’s fiddle seems to ooze the charm of the Irish in its haunting but smile-inducing sound; however, it is not only the fiddle that offers the fun, spritely heart of ‘Wild Atlantic Woman’. Pounding drums crash like the ocean’s waves, while a soaring guitar flies free, and the bold beat runs beneath with its fun-loving tone.
Melodically, ‘Wild Atlantic Woman’ brims with an upbeat, high-powered, “you gotta get up and do an Irish jig” sentiment. Yet, the message is somewhat weightier. The band explain: “The message we are trying to give to listeners is one of learning to question where you are, what you’re doing, and try to find a place where you can be free. Also, have a great time whilst you’re on the journey!”
Find out more about Roving Crows on their official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
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