By Clare Martin
Sally Ó Dúnlaing, who records infectious pop as ÓDÚ, has teamed up with songwriter/producer Luke Foley for their new music project Scenes From A Break. The duo’s first single, “Silly Little Games,” is a rapturous introduction, buoyed by sparkling piano and balmy guitar.
“ÓDÚ has a particular sonic identity whereas Scenes From A Break is a whole new thing where I get to wallow in the sounds and vibes of bands that I would never quite be able to fit into an ÓDÚ production such as The Cure, The Cardigans, Pale Waves, and Tame Impala,” Ó Dúnlaing explains. “It also gives me the opportunity to cosplay different scenarios in my head because the music inspires a completely different response from me.”
Foley and Ó Dúnlaing recorded the entire track remotely, with Astakalapa (Darragh Nolan) on production duties. Despite being recorded in disparate locations, the track radiates the same warmth as an in-person performance.
The single itself is about realizing that you’ve finally moved on from a heart-rending situation. There’s a certain relief to that feeling, letting go of your pain and seeing your emotional scars start to heal, and the sonic brightness of “Silly Little Games” reflects that.
“I just heard a melody in my head and the lyrics poured out of me. They were never based on any particular personal experience but just the feeling I got from listening to the music that Luke had created,” Ó Dúnlaing says of the song writing process.
“You see all the things and people and places that used to trigger all the bad feelings within you, but for the first time in a long while they have almost no effect on you anymore,” Ó Dúnlaing continues. “You are a different person than you were before, hence the lyric ‘You wouldn’t know me at all, if you saw me now…’”
Listen to “Silly Little Games” below.
Nameless Faceless 