Track Review: Lilac Leaves // Odd Morris

Dublin is exporting some of the most exciting post-punk bands in Europe right now. With the likes of Fontaines D.C., The Murder Capital and Just Mustard being met with critical acclaim, newcomers Odd Morris have a lot to live up to. The Irish quartet shares more than just rehearsal space with some of the hottest names on the scene — they also share their contemporaries’ love of poetry and literature which inspires their lyrics, but with a more melodic edge to their sound.

‘Lilac Leaves’, Odd Morris’s sophomore release, is just over three minutes of muddy, distorted guitars and grungy vocals, underpinned by a brooding intensity. The band’s macabre riffs are the perfect soundtrack to the darker nights, with an ever-so-subtle nod to 00s indie rock.

Frontman Daragh Griffin’s lyrical style is verbose and steeped in metaphor. ‘Lilac Leaves’ was written to help process leaving home and turbulent family relationships to face the suffocating cost of living in the band’s hometown. “A friend of mine had told me over a pint that his relationship with his father was the greatest lesson in empathy he ever had, which really struck a chord,” Daragh explains. “Psychologically, I didn’t want to move out of my gaff on a bad note, so writing ‘Lilac Leaves’ was my way of acknowledging forgiveness.”

Odd Morris have graduated from prestigious support slots for Fat White Family and Ezra Furman to their own headline tour. You can catch the lads on one of their Irish dates in Belfast, Derry and Dublin, or check out their free UK gig at Old Blue Last in London on 7 thNovember.

Words by Kristen Sinclair

Originally published at https://www.indiependent.co.uk on October 25, 2019.