Q&A: Sorcha Richardson Is Reinventing Young Love
TAKING A TURN ON THE CLASSIC YOUNG-LOVE STORYLINE - Dublin-based singer/songwriter Sorcha Richardson's "Archie" tells the tale of a boy whose love isn't for another person, but for music. Giving us a look into her upcoming sophomore album, set to release this fall, "Archie" is slow and emotional, painting the story of someone who hopes their dreams will be all they need to succeed in life.
It’s really hard not to resonate with the character we know as Archie. As a teen with dreams that were bigger than my hometown, I took my first chance to get out and never looked back. There were bouts of guilt, homesickness, anger, and yet, none of that mattered when my goals were so much bigger than any emotion. However, some of those feelings come flooding back after listening to Richardson’s “Archie” a few times through…
Teetering on the edge of folk and indie-rock, Richardson’s solemn voice, juxtaposed with a steady and balanced drumline, produces one of the most emotional songs I’ve come across so far this year. I had the absolute pleasure of picking apart this atmospheric artist’s thought process behind “Archie” and even learned a few things about her upcoming sophomore album:
LUNA: Who are you? Where are you from? Maybe a fun fact about yourself!
SORCHA RICHARDSON: My name is Sorcha Richardson and I’m a singer/songwriter and musician from Dublin. Fun fact - my first real job was as a lifeguard but nobody ever came so I spent most Sunday afternoons when I was 16 writing songs by an empty swimming pool near my house.
LUNA: What was the process of writing a song based on the theme of friendship over the theme of love - a topic that is so heavily covered in music?
SORCHA: I spent three days in the Spring of 2020 at a studio in the middle of Ireland with some of my favourite Irish musicians. I wrote the earliest demo of this on the first day with Faye from Soda Blonde and Gemma & Morgana from Saint Sister. I don't know if it was because we were writing together for the first time, but perhaps it felt easier to write about a platonic relationship than a romantic one because, on the surface at least, that might feel like it doesn't require quite as much emotional vulnerability. Maybe the stakes feel lower. We didn't set out to write about anything specific. It was very impulsive and we just followed where the ideas took us.
When it came to making the album a few months later, I showed this song to Alex Casnoff (who eventually produced it) and he encouraged me to go back and rewrite the lyrics with a bit more focus. I loved the song but I didn't feel that emotionally connected to it until I anchored it much more in my own reality. I guess it's easier (for me) to be emotionally vulnerable in my writing when I'm writing on my own. There is literally no one to judge you, except yourself. So I kind of had the melodies and structure from the very fun days of writing with all of my friends and then I had to retreat into my own quiet little corner to find my way through the story.
LUNA: Who is Archie to you? Is Archie a singular person in your life, a representation of your own life, or someone or something entirely different?
SORCHA: Without being too prescriptive, Archie is the person from your teenage years who takes you by the hand and shows you more of the world. The person who you dream and scheme with and who plays a big part in how you see the world, and what you want out of it, but who isn't a part of your life anymore. I guess you sometimes go off and live your dreams and in doing so you lose touch with the people you used to share them with. That’s who and what this song is about.
LUNA: How do you feel the music video for "Archie" helps to continue the story of this single?
SORCHA: I think James Baldwin (the director) and the two lead actors Adam Lunnon Collery & Conor Fitzpatrick managed to so beautifully capture the intimacy and subtlety of a really formative teenage relationship. For me, the emotion of the song is complicated. It's bittersweet and reflective and a real mix of emotions all at once. I wanted the arc of the relationship in the video to feel significant and full of intensity without being overwrought or dramatic. I think they did that perfectly. It also just feels like watching a kaleidoscope of my summers in Dublin when I was seventeen/eighteen.
LUNA: This is the first release off your upcoming LP, correct? What else can you tell us about the album?
SORCHA: I am so excited for it. Archie is the opening track. There are 11 songs in total. 8 were produced by Alex Casnoff (who I also worked with on my debut album) and the other three I co-produced with James Vincent McMorrow and David Anthony Curly. It's coming soon-ish.
LUNA: How will this next album differ from your 2019 release, First Prize Bravery?
SORCHA: It sounds bigger and more cinematic and textured than First Prize Bravery. I think we paid very little attention to genre making this one and our references were a bit more sprawling but still managed (I think and hope) to make something cohesive. It's also got a more specific narrative focus than First Prize Bravery. The first one had a rotating cast of characters from my life in my early/mid 20s but these songs are mostly set in about one person and one relationship. (Archie is an outlying cameo we meet along the way).
LUNA: Is there anything else we can expect to see from you before your sophomore album is released? More singles, live shows, etc?
SORCHA: I just landed back in Dublin today for the first time in almost a month after some shows with Villagers, James Vincent McMorrow, Kneecap & Denise Chaila so I feel like I'm just getting my bearings again. But there’s more singles and videos and tours coming up.
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