Track of the Day: Tom Cahalane – Clouds (2025)
I don’t know why, and perhaps I’m being rather silly, but Irish artists always offer something deeper, more intimate, more passionately raw and skin-chillingly haunting in their music. Think about The Cranberries or U2, the songs of The Troubles fluttering with soul-stirring, breathtaking emotion, almost taking you along the journey with deft Irish flair. Today, Cork-based singer-songwriter Tom Cahalane adds his two cents to the raw breath of evocative Irish music.
For many years, Cahalane has been touring across Ireland as an electric guitar player for bands like Neon Atlas and M’Adam; however, his solo project shifts from electric to organic, showcasing another side to the talented musician. Recorded at Cork’s Monique Studios with producer Christian Best, his sophomore single ‘Clouds’ is a blast of strong vintage folk, opting for simplistic guitar and vocal arrangements. Quiet acoustic instead of bombastic synthetic, the deft finger-picking tune is soothing, laidback, tranquil and gentle with sentimental sincerity. Yet, as much as the track is calming, its barebones execution brims with profound lyricism.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing – if we all knew what we know now, the chances are things might have played out differently. Taking a gander at years gone by, ‘Clouds’ delves into the raw emotion of reflection, analysing whether trying to discover whether or not living up to those expectations – be they societal, familial, friendships, or individual – was worth the trouble (and sometimes pain). With its brutal honesty bound by witty lyrics and the truth we expect from raw acoustic folk music, Cahalane explains:
“It’s a soundtrack for figuring things out, being a bit unsure, and learning more about yourself… a look back at teenage years and wondering if trying to live up to the expectations of others was ever truly worth it.”
This is my introduction to Tom Cahalane, and while his melodies don’t have the underlying tragedy of The Cranberries or the boldness of U2, the quietness of ‘Clouds’ makes a lasting impression not soon to be forgotten.
Find out more about Tom Cahalane on his Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more folk music on The Other Side Reviews Folk playlist:
