Ellie O’Neill – Time Of Fallow

There’s something transformational about the music of Ellie O’Neill. The Irish songwriter’s debut album ‘Time Of Fallow’ picks you up in one space, and deposits you in another – listening to it, you’re left feeling like a pebble in the current, pushed downstream to pastures new. A pared-back selection of alt folk minimalism, these sketch-like pieces are uniquely powerful, resulting in a debut album that leaves a palpable impact.

Music that discusses memory, grief, desire, and self-reckoning, the material on ‘Time Of Fallow’ was penned in the aftermath of the pandemic, a time when Ellie O’Neill was forced to return to her family home on a County Meath council estate. A period of personal change, the songs came to reflect her queer identity, while also looking more broadly at community, heritage, and the quiet evolution Ireland itself was embarking on.

In short, there’s a lot to chew on across the space of this remarkable debut album. Lead single ‘Silent Water’ contains a heart-stopping beauty, while songs like ‘Anna With The Silver Arrow’ or ‘Sister Of The Sea’ contain real complexities. It’s all set to wonderful music, of course – the pirouetting guitar lines, the undulating melodies, given enough space to breathe a little in the minimalist framework.

Recalling Laura Marling or Karen Dalton in its stark simplicity, ‘Time Of Fallow’ was recorded in a matter of days at Analogue Catalogue in Newry, a tape-first, female-run studio. There’s a unique atmosphere to ‘Sean’s Song’ for example, the sound of someone putting themselves out there on the line. ‘Witness’ is framed by truth, while closer ‘Seabird’ rises to the heavens, a soul unleashed.

Rooted in a very specific locality, ‘Time Of Fallow’ broadens its scope to become something universal. A wonderful experience, Ellie O’Neill’s debut album should be treasured.

8/10

Words: Robin Murray

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