Foam-ward bound

Singer songwriter Jack O’Rourke has opened 2022 with a cracker, releasing a brand new single from his latest album ‘Wild Place'.

O’Rourke finished 2021 with a series of sold out shows, TV and radio appearances and now his new single ‘Coffee Song’ has fans frantic for his next run of shows.

O’Rourke’s insightful weaving of the observational into lyrical tales is a hallmark of the tracks on ‘Wild Place’, and this latest release invites the listener into a private, while also unconcealed moment that has resonated with many.

“‘Coffee Song’ is a celebration of everyday rituals that can become magic,” says O’Rourke. “Written at a time (during Covid) when my interactions were rare, I found something beautiful in the morning ritual of a small piece of art in the foam of a morning coffee. It gave my day a curious purpose. The extraordinary in the ordinary.

“The lyrics lend themselves to a tale set in New York; a punk rock barista, Warhol and Kandinsky, Patti Smith with echoes of a Broadway ballad.

“I sat at the piano and this story of these characters was developed, the idea of a conversation of broken people with cautious hopes and dreams. Initially, it could have been a duet but now it’s a story like many of the songs on ‘Wild Place’. Cormac McCarthy’s arrangement elevated this song to a soundtrack for me, his notes and counter melodies adding just a little movie sparkle. Coffee Song’ is a reminder to appreciate the smaller things, the little things that almost slip by, within which gentle stories can be told.”

O’Rourke plays Cyprus Avenue on 29 January.