Ailbhe Reddy, Debut Album "Personal History" Releases 2nd October

Irish singer/songwriter Ailbhe Reddy has been making huge waves in the music industry since the release of her debut EP Hollowed Out Sea in 2016 and now the much-anticipated debut album titled ‘​Personal History​’, is available to stream and download on Friday 2nd October 2020​.

Her fans will be treated to the raw, honest lyrics and the gentle, folk guitar melodies that have created her unique sound thus far, with many lyrical gems on this album. One of my favourites, is “Late Bloomer’, but I also absolutely love ‘Self Improvement’, with its message of positivity intermingled with the story of hardship.

Three years in the making, ​Ailbhe’s debut album , is an intimate and introspective collection of songs that ruminate on the rites of passage as a young, emerging, queer artist from Dublin.

On ‘Personal History’, Ailbhe’s ability to write songs of earnest and honest self-appraisal see her autobiographically navigate through break-ups in the age of social media (‘Looking Happy’), reflect on the duality of loneliness and independence while touring (‘Time Difference’), and open up about coming out (‘Between Your Teeth’, ‘Loyal’).

Taking some time out of music to study psychotherapy for a year during the making of the record, there’s a sense of Ailbhe applying a newfound understanding and empathy to the perspectives and problems of those around her, as well vicariously analysing the complications in her life. The bracing ‘Self Improvement’ opens a dialogue on the difficulties of living with mental health, whereas other tracks more precisely dissect issues like learning to live with failure (‘Late Bloomer’) and confronting fears of commitment (‘Failing’, ‘Walk Away’).

Reflecting on the impact psychotherapy has had on her songwriting, Ailbhe says: ​"I spent a year studying psychotherapy before I started writing this album and I realised while recording that I had subconsciously included a lot of clinical terms in my lyrics. Words like ego, true intimacy, personal history, self improvement. The themes of understanding my fear of and need for relationships with others, my frustration with myself, my journey with self acceptance. The collection of songs I ultimately decided to put on this record are all linked to my desire as a songwriter to understand myself and those around me. Writing is about being understood, music is therapy."

Hauling together the extraneous experiences with melodies fine-tuned over these previous years, Ailbhe finally arrived at a longlist of 18 demo recordings. Feeling confident in her work she reached out to Erland Cooper (who she had been introduced to in 2017 when writing ‘Walk Away’) and Tommy McLaughlin (producer and touring member of SOAK), both of whom greeted the tracks with warm enthusiasm; each offering their production skills and expertise. Taking-up residence in the stimulating environment of McLaughlin’s renowned Attica Audio Recording Studios in Co. Donegal, immersed in the breathtaking scenery and away from distractions of the city, the trio developed a warm rapport with a feeling of a shared vision for what would become Ailbhe’s debut album.

Whether it's the Julia Jacklin-esque slacker-pop of album opener ‘Failing’, or the sixties girl-group inflections of ‘Time Difference’, the hushed heart-on-sleeve acoustica of ‘Walk Away’, the sparkling folk finesse of ‘Loyal’, or the title-track’s bruising Big Thief-style balladry, ‘Personal History’ is varied in its influences and resonant with the experience of its proponents. Masterfully embellished by a world-class studio, the songs of ‘Personal History’ are as musically expressive as the lyrics are emotive, never losing sight of where they have come from.

Sharing its name with the medical term for a collection of information about a person’s health, Ailbhe Reddy’s ‘Personal History’ couldn’t be more aptly titled.

“While I was writing this album I was delving into the world of psychotherapy and attachment theory a lot.... different things that shape a person will ultimately affect their relationship with you.” she says. ​“Every track on the album is talking about my relationship with another person and the final track is about my relationship with myself, so the title 'Personal History' felt right.”

With artwork designed by Ailbhe too, ‘Personal History’ is a record not only true to its title, but true to herself. Both coming-of-age story and therapeutic analysis, it’s an album that documents a very specific chapter of Ailbhe’s story to date, yet is one that will chime with countless others.

A cathartic case study for the soul, it is an album to cherish!

Listen to ‘Personal History’ and keep up with Ailbhe’s life & music HERE & check out her performance of ‘Personal History’ at Windmill Lane below.