‘Eccentric barroom piano’ powers new Bell X1 single

After giving Cork fans an early look during Live at the Marquee, Kildare rockers Bell X1 have officially released a new track from their upcoming new album.

The new single ‘Coughing Up Butterflies’, the latest track to be unveiled from their forthcoming ninth studio album, ‘Good Bones’, which is yet to be given an official release date.

‘Coughing Up Butterflies’ is built around a groove that came together through the interplay of mandolin, drum machine, and what the band describe as an “eccentric barroom piano”. Producer Josh Kaufman played a significant role in shaping the track, which captures the push and pull between the organic and electronic sounds running through ‘Good Bones’ as a whole. Speaking about the new single, the band say: “This song has that immediately satisfying groove for us, and one that Josh played a big part in shaping, with the mandolin at the top. I think it captures a lot of the character of the record, using these organic elements with the drum machine and that barroom piano.”

Recorded at Dreamland Recording Studios in upstate New York with Kaufman and engineer D James Goodwin, ‘Good Bones’ finds Bell X1 working with a more organic palette while retaining the melodic instinct that has always been central to their songwriting.

The album was made in the wake of the loss of Bell X1’s friend and collaborator, Glenn Keating, who was a significant presence throughout the sessions. As Paul Noonan previously described it, it was the group’s “most intense but beautiful recording experience”, with playing music taking on an added potency during that time.

Over the summer, the band brought four new songs into a set otherwise drawn from their extensive catalogue. Speaking to The Times in July, Paul Noonan said they were conscious of “not getting lazy and slipping into heritage act territory”, instead approaching their older material “through the aesthetic lens of the latest record”. That balance between songs with a long life behind them and material still finding its feet was evident throughout the summer run with the new songs quickly finding their place in the set. The band is now preparing to announce further dates.

Bell X1, comprising Paul Noonan, David Geraghty, and Dominic Phillips, have been a constant presence in Irish music since forming in 1999. Across eight studio albums so far, four of which were nominated for the Choice Music Prize, they have developed a catalogue that moves freely between pop songwriting, experimentation, and a keen ear for texture.

After more than two decades together, ‘Good Bones’ sees the band continuing to make records on their own terms, and ‘Coughing Up Butterflies’ is the latest piece of it to emerge. The new single is available to stream now.