Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Joshua Burnside’s third album arrived on the final day of February, ending a wait of five years for a new record from the experimental folk singer/songwriter. He describes Teeth of Time as his happiest family of songs. In some ways, it is a typically contemplative record for the Down native.

The difference here, sparked by the birth of his child and an adjustment in perspective, is that the ruminations are more external.

Guided in part by a newfound responsibility, Burnside tackles challenges in the contemporary world, incorporating samples and found sounds too to bring the songs to life.

He has been travelling those tracks across the UK for the past month and on April 2, he brings them to Galway’s Róisín Dubh for the Irish leg of the tour.

“Becoming a dad when I was writing those songs changed my perspective on things,” Burnside says.

“It just changed how I see the world. I guess it’s a hopeful act to bring a child into the world and it really changed the way I think. That seeped into the lyrics a bit. It’s not as pessimistic as previous stuff.

“I’m still concerned about things and thinking about things. Stressing and worrying and ruminating and all that craic, and that comes out in the lyrics. But it’s about the future and, in a way, what we can do to change things. How we’ve gone wrong. There’s an element of hope.”

Among the lyrics that stand out on Teeth of Time is a line about doomscrolling in the early hours of the morning on The Good Life. It can be difficult to plant that sharp, modern language into folk songs, though Burnside is quick to say his music doesn’t fit into the borders of the genre.

Through the LP, he meditates on climate change, death, war and technology, with none of it feeling out of place.

“I’ve been inspired by a lot of contemporary artists who use contemporary language and colloquialisms,” Burnside says.

“Richard Dawson would be a great example – the English folk singer. He talks about day-to-day stuff in a really straightforward way that I found really inspiring. He gets straight to the point and a lot of his songs feel very much set in the mundane business of being alive. I find that quite freeing. There’s no topic or words that are off limits.

Pictured: Joshua Burnside…new album and Galway gig at the Róisín Dubh.