It’s been a minute since we heard from AE MAK, the alternative art-pop project of Aoife McCann.
Last year’s ‘Let’s Do It’ was a single once-off missive from the artist with the Kojaque-featuring Berlin EP and 2021’s ‘New Friend’ before that.
There has been a sense of an artist recalibrating after a few years of high-energy alternative hook-filled songs before that, and a new body of work is coming which suggests that’s exactly where AE MAK is at.
“A spiritual–cosmic–folk album with a touch of great music hall about it,” is what’s on the way says McCann of the new release on the way, which was made with Brían Mac Gloinn (Ye Vagabonds).
‘We Came From Stars’ is the first taster of this new vibe, “a return to voice”, more stripped-back emotional-first music with an emphasis on McCann’s voice, storytelling and atmosphere.
“I’ve taken a step back from electronic world-building for now and naturally felt towards a more organic and exposed sound.This song is about spirit, embodiment, and the fierce work of remembering who you are when walking in darkness. Writing it was a guide for me at the time.”
A video, with longtime collaborator Tim Shearwood is out today as well.
AE MAK Tour Dates
28 Nov – Tipperary Source Arts Centre, Thurles*
29 Nov – Other Voices, An Diseart
5 Dec – The Spirit Store, Dundalk*
6 Dec – Bank Lane, Waterford*
13 Dec – Backstage Theatre, Longford*
14 Dec – Pavillion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin*
17 Dec – Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge*
18 Dec – Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray*
- supporting Ye Vagabonds
More from AE MAK:
Written in Berlin during the depths of last Winter, the single emerged from a period of reflection and rediscovery. Whilst teaching vocals in a college there, AE MAK was inspired to reconnect with instinct and physical expression in her singing, letting emotion guide the music rather than aesthetics.
Produced and mixed with Brían Mac Gloinn (Ye Vagabonds), the song is part of a body of work AE MAK describes as a “return to voice.” Written in a friend’s apartment filled with a grand piano and smoke-stained ceilings, the songs are deeply personal, tributes to the music and family that shaped her.
“These songs are for my mam and pappi,” she says. “They doused me in Dylan, Young, Joni, Kate, The Doors, The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel as a kid – I picture this record as one they’d have leaning against the shelf, close to the record player waiting for a spin.”
“This record started out as a painful and healing purge,” she says of her new music. “Now I look to it as guidance and support and affirmation; the lyrics and the meandering melodies as lessons and new insights learned. So I do hope it can provide comfort, laughs and tears and mean something to someone else too.”
With “We Came From Stars,” AE MAK begins a luminous new chapter. Stripped-back yet cinematic, intimate yet expansive, honest yet other-worldly, it is a testament to voice, spirit, and human connection.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
