More about: David Keenan

David Keenan is no stranger to doing things differently. In his career so far he’s managed to establish himself as one of the last true troubadours, with an astonishing output and a knack for constantly evolving while maintaining his clear, instantly recognisable spark. Hailing from County Louth, and spending two albums wandering to Liverpool then Dublin then Barcelona - his latest work Crude sees a definite return home in the grandest sense.

In all honesty, we’re a little late on this one. Crude was originally released in November on only a limited run of vinyl records. Originally on no streaming services, and with no label involvement or middle man - Crude represents a new era of total control for David. While his debut A Beginners Guide To Bravery housed big-league promise, positioning him as the future of irish music with his modern take of traditional folk and What Then? doubled down on his storytelling talent with a sprinkle of experimentation, Crude has all the same potential in a different package.

"...an album that seems in its infancy, as if this is a project that hasn’t been overthought and dulled down by lengthy recording, producing, mastering, marketing timelines..."

From the first track ‘Miracles’, a different intent is clear. Closely related to the demos he sporadically released during lockdown, they’re stripped back but not sparse as the instrumental nestles his lyricism without becoming dull. Full of strange stops and starts, ‘Miracles’ opens up an album that seems in its infancy, as if this is a project that hasn’t been overthought and dulled down by lengthy recording, producing, mastering, marketing timelines and endless label delays. These still feel like songs and stories David is excited to be sharing. Felt in full force on ‘National Gallery Pop’ and ‘Back To The Pavement’, there’s almost something candid about them, popping with silliness and immediacy amongst sentimentality that hasn’t had time to stale. 

Crude also sees a beautiful return to a deeply and distinctly Irish settling and voice. While What Then? naturally still dealt in irishness due to David Keenan being you know… Irish, it was clocked in art references and personal stories of childhood. On Crude, it’s back in full force. Not in the flag waving way of old tracks like ‘Subliminal Dublinia’, but in a way that celebrates the core of Ireland’s musical culture both past and present. Teaming up with Junior Brother on ‘Raving Towards Byzantium’, nodding to Irish poet Yeats, the two accents join together for a song you’d expect to hear floating out of a traditional pub. Similarly, ‘Andy Wilson’ is a beautiful ode to a busker from Cork as a fun, building track that encapsulates the excitement in the scene. A real stand out, ‘Ears Are Prickd’ continues his passion for writing about mental health in a roundabout way, recounting tales from the road like gossip filtering through a small town.

Maintaining the intellectual streak that, whether you love it or hate it, colours all his work; there are moments on Crude that see David at his simplest and sincerest. From the first listen, ‘Waiting Room’ is a clear stand out as maybe his most touching song to date. Singing “I'll offer you the chance to have someone to rub suncream on / And complain to about the neighbours”, the track deals with the domesticity and simplicity of love in a stunning way that seems to come so easily to him. On par as another standout, ‘On Michael Street’ swims in the same realm, building ballads from home life as a beautiful take on love in daily life. It's not cheesy or over-considered. It’s just right.

The whole album is. All perfectly balanced and left at the perfect point, it’s a statement of how good a project can be if you have a talented artist and leave them to get on with it. While there isn’t a stand out single or any one great commercial song that’s going to storm the charts, Crude is a project in its truest form, with a clear vision and a purpose as it seems to serve as a revival for David, free from the shackles the industry loves to weight it’s talent down with. An outpouring of expression, fun, feeling and a need for freedom, Crude is a feat and we can’t wait to see what it’s cleared the way for next.

Crude is out now on streaming services and physical formats

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More about: David Keenan