Conor O’Brien has announced that his fifth studio album Fever Dreams will be released on Domino on August 20th this year.
The first single from the forthcoming Villagers album is now up with a video by Daniel Brereton. The uplifting song is inspired by a trip to the brilliant Another Love Story festival in County Meath.
“I had an urge to write something that was as generous to the listener as it was to myself. Sometimes the most delirious states can produce the most ecstatic, euphoric and escapist dreams.”
Conor O’Brien on writing the album
O’Brien is said to have found inspiration for the album “from night swimming on a Dutch island to Flann O’Brien, Audre Lorde, David Lynch, L. S. Lowry via the library music of Piero Umiliani and Alessandro Alessandroni and jazz from Duke Ellington and Alice Coltrane.”
The album was written over two years and the main body of the work was recorded in a series of full-band studio sessions in late 2019 and early 2020. The album was then finessed at O’Brien’s home during lockdown and mixed by David Wrench.
Fever Dreams is available to pre-order on Dom Mart exclusive coloured vinyl (with one-sided 7” and signed 4 postcard set), indies exclusive coloured vinyl, Dinked Editions exclusive coloured vinyl (with flexi disc), Irish exclusive coloured vinyl, vinyl, CD and digitally.
Pre-order: Dom Mart | Digital
The initial press of all vinyl formats features a die cut sleeve with 4 interchangeable album covers. View all the album covers here.
“The whole process was pretty collaborative with Conor. I think we both imagined a floatiness to the video, and obviously the title conjures up a lot of imagery and ideas, ‘The first day of the rest of your life’. What does that look like? How does that feel? We were very lucky to shoot on film and have great casting and styling. Shooting during a pandemic is not easy, so I feel fortunate that we got to make it happen.”
Director Daniel Brereton says of the video
Alongside the album announcement, Villagers have confirmed a string of live dates for later this year taking in the UK and Ireland as below:
Fever Dreams Tracklisting:
- Something Bigger
- The First Day
- Song In Seven
- So Simpatico
- Momentarily
- Circles In The Firing Line
- Restless Endeavour
- Full Faith In Providence
- Fever Dreams
- Deep In My Heart
2021 tour dates
- Tues 12th October – SWG3, Glasgow
- Wed 13th October – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
- Fri 15th October – Albert Hall, Manchester
- Sat 16th October – SWX, Bristol
- Sun 17th October – Junction, Cambridge
- Mon 18th October – The Glee Club, Birmingham
- Wed 20th October – Chalk, Brighton
- Thurs 21st October – Roundhouse, London
- Tues 2nd November – Opera House, Cork
- Wed 3rd November – Set Theatre, Kilkenny
- Thurs 4th November – Dolans Warehouse, Limerick
- Fri 5th November – Black Box, Galway
- Sun 7th November – Empire Music Hall, Belfast
- Sat 11th December – Vicar Street, Dublin
Tickets on sale here from 9am Fri 23rd April.
