Niamh Regan - Hemet (2020)

Galway singer-songwriter Niamh Regan's debut is a captivating collection of emotion and dreamy melodies that begs the listener to feel as deeply as she does.

Armed with an utterly entrancing timbre and dreamy contemporary folk melodies, Niamh Regan crafts a powerful journey through the trials and tribulations of growing up and finding her place in the world. Though firmly grounded in her own life across a period of rapid change in her life, poetic imagery crafts a universal experience. Hemet is a beautiful display of Regan’s core talent as a songwriter, benefiting from additional layers of production and collaboration that amplify her powerful display of emotion.

Captivating acoustic guitar and piano populate much of the record’s landscape, with intricately layered, yet low-key instrumentals painting vivid pictures of sadness, hope and everything in between. But the real impact comes from her colourful vocals. Regan’s warm timbre is at the forefront of each track, each shift in tone dripping with vulnerability and emotion.

Each track serves as a sort of vignette, telling stories about omniscient characters drifting through life. Mild ambiguity leaves interpretation wholly to the listener, taking on a whole new meaning depending on personal experiences. Her ability to portray a raw narrative that begs the listener to experience emotions as deeply as she does speaks volumes to her ability as a writer, and in many cases a poet as well.

Tracks ‘Save the Day’ and ‘Ode to Youth’ show a new side to Regan’s songwriting, shying away from the conventions of her usual folk with a hefty injection of energetic indie-rock. ‘Save the Day’ retains the themes of regret and confusion she explores throughout the record, but steady percussion and driving electric guitar infuse a sense of optimism that turn the message of “I wish I could save the day, but I can’t” into one of acceptance rather than wishful thinking. 'Ode to Youth' is the closest she's come to a pop track, chugging along a steady beat and twinkling synths almost reminiscent of a more introverted LCD Soundsystem. The variation in genre she provides with these two tracks come at perfect moments, breaking up a buildup of more somber tones.

‘Sweetest Drop’ sees Regan exploring both ethereal folk sounds and a darker bluesy-tone with a unique song structure that reaches its sonic peak moment in the middle of the track, before a satisfying decrescendo. It’s simultaneously calming and intense, amplifying the contrasting emotions.

Closer ‘She’ is a rework of the single release four years ago, a clever choice in showcasing her growth. The track hasn’t changed much, its sweet sound tying up a record of growth with a reminder of her origins and the core sound that’s developed into a full-length package years later.

Hemet is a stunning debut from the singer-songwriter. With the benefit of additional production and collaboration as well as few experiments in genre, her potential as a mainstay of the Irish music scene shines. The record is bound to garner comparisons to the likes of her indie-folk contemporaries and inspirations, yet Hemet stands on a pedestal of its own as something uniquely Niamh Regan. It’s a perfect record for a mid-morning cup of tea on a calm day, or a late-night moment of self-reflection about the wonderfully messy experience of life.