Words by Rachel June
ASBO Magazine got to speak with frontman, Cian Godfrey of Somebody’s Child, on the release of ‘Last Night I Held Your Hand’ out today, listen here. The single – accompanied by a full LP out March 28th, is called ‘When Youth Fades Away’, a project of which Cian and the band are “immensely proud of”. The music has a modern indie rock vibe, and their music transports you into a movie-montage-type daydream. The new single includes synths, that ring behind heavy drums & guitar, whilst Cian’s vocals pierces through with a delicious Irish twang.
Writing lives inside Cian, music forms from him just existing – and he has always loved it. Since the age of 16, strumming along to words written from within is how he gets through life. The LP tackles these hard-hitting and real obstacles that we all face. The ever-present time limit on our lives, and how we deal with that. Gloom aside, this LP is actually joyful, hopeful, and sonically – it’s the best Somebody’s Child has ever sounded.
Creatively, the band wanted to stretch their abilities and do something new. “We somehow found our souls again.” This LP was “the most proud we have ever been” and the band are eagerly excited to release it to audiences. In preparation, the band decided to take a break from the over-consumption of music, and listened to nothing at all – and if anything only 5 artists. One of which, The Waterboys. They wanted to listen to artists “we could never reach”, and this challenge helped them to create from a new space. “With so much music at our fingertips, it’s important to stay in the silence sometimes”.
The LP is self-dubbed “happy-sad music”, it’s the kind of music that “makes you happy when you’re sad”. Tackling challenging themes such as impending ageing and the anxiety that surrounds it. The title ‘When Youth Fades Away’ shapes every song, and the journey of creating is always the best part. Cian and band member Shea take week-long trips to write, saying “writing in a new environment creates a new perspective.” Hey, now you have a valid excuse for booking that spontaneous trip!
The friendship they share within the band is crucial to staying together, in an industry where many don’t. “Keeping 5 of us in a band, along with the difficulty of the music industry – to be able to do this and stay together, that’s pretty good going”. To his younger self, the words of wisdom Cian offers is…none! He quotes, “I wouldn’t give advice. The spirit you have at that age is there for a reason. Knowing less can sometimes be better.” He continues, “When you know more it can sometimes work against you. You almost need to unlearn, which is what we did for this album.” There is a beauty in the naivety of the young musicians, and “The naivety is where you get your confidence and swagger come from. It’s where a lot of great bands have stemmed from”.
2025 is exciting as Somebody’s Child releases their own child, ‘When Youth Fades Away’, along with touring in Germany and gigging “as much as possible”.
