We here around Boston have, for reasons both obvious and obscured, always felt a kinship with Ireland. The soundtrack of our lives has been supplied and played out for generations, and now an unlikely new candidate emerges from Cork’s Lee Valley, arriving via alternative rock and shoegaze quintet The Altered Hours. It’s a slow-burn cruiser of cinematic psych-folk out yesterday (June 3) called “Lay There With You,” and it’ll be played on repeat as we sing the refrain of “All I can do / Is lay there with you / Hoping this rain it will ease“ while the region deals with another rain-soaked washout weekend. Recorded to tape by analogue producer Julie McLarnon, the weathered and wistful track will likely sound even better as the rain taps our windowsills and hope vacates our souls, leaving us wondering if we’ll ever see the sun on a Saturday ever again. “Lay There With You” arrives in tandem with news of the Irish band’s self-titled third studio album, out September 26 via Pizza Pizza Records. Get into it below.
Credit: Alain Bib