Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Galway four-piece Back to Winnipeg last week released Sound of Rain – a melodic, shoegaze lullaby interrupted by a hugely catchy, stabbing chorus. It is the group’s third single of the year, and each has been centred around a different songwriter.  In this case, drummer Donncha Adams was the orchestrator. Alongside them, Back to Winnipeg is comprised of Eoghan (Fitzy) Barrett, Cian Moran and Liam Moran.

The fluidity of their approach to songwriting has allowed the band to develop a dynamic sound, with alternating vocals and varied styles given space to shine. Sound of Rain arrived in a moment of introspection.

“I just remember one night, it was pissing rain, and there was a proper, proper thunderstorm going on,” Donncha says.

“I was just sitting there, messing around on the guitar. And it’s just that feeling of craziness happening around you and then sitting in it and just being creative and observing. I did the music to it and then I brought it to the guys.

“And then they built up the lyrics around it kind of keeping that feeling, which was really cool. But I didn’t really need to say much – they just kind of got that and it was perfect for what I had in mind.”

“I think definitely, the vibe was so clear from the music,” Fitzy adds. “And then it was just a case of, okay, fill in the blanks here. Like we kind of knew what the idea was going to be. And so yeah, I think I remember kind of coming together pretty quickly.”

While there is always a main songwriter with a Back to Winnipeg song, that individual will usually present an idea or instrument line for others to build on. For Sound of Rain, though, Donncha had a very definite idea of how they wanted it to sound.

“It’s like we’ve been pushed to kind of try something different,” Fitzy says. “Rather than just staying in our comfort zones… It was the first time we had done that, where it was like no – there is there isn’t much movement here. This is what the song is; you play it this way.”

Pictured: Back to Winnepeg…Donncha Adams, Cian Moran, Eoghan (Fitzy) Barrett and Liam Moran. Photo: Cathal Ó Dálaigh Ceallaigh.