Declan de Barra has been around for a while and Fragments, Footprints & the Forgotten is his third full length under his own name, but the first we have discovered.

And what a discovery it is – the album has been getting repeated plays here at MM containing as it does, all the ingredients we like to make a great record. Sparse, haunting vocals, weary, deadpan and occasionally caustic lyrics, a genuine troubadour’s folk strum and a powerful sense of right and wrong.

His website tells it better than we can:

I was born in Bonmahon, Waterford, Ireland with a club foot. I lived in a caravan for the first few years and then a bus. Then they fixed my foot and I used it to kick people who tried to kill me while I worked as a bouncer to feed myself as a musician.

I have degrees in fine art, electronic design and multimedia (still don’t know what that is).

My first real crush was Nichelle Nichols aka Lt. Uhura from Star Trek.

My motto for life is Fuck the Begrudgers.

My favourite colour is “blood of racist”.

My favourite number is 5.

When not writing music, or dealing with the insane world of writing for a living, I can be found out the back of a surf break singing Bad Brains songs at the top of my voice and winking at other surfers. That way they think I am insane and I have the waves to myself. Works in queues too.

It (the album) was recorded in the same room in Dublin as the last two albums. My landlady couldn’t be fucked to fix my shower so I inherited a spare room with a shower and lots of space to record and drive the neighbours upstairs demented.

I did everything on this record apart from mastering. Written, played, recorded, mixed and artwork created by me. D I Y, or more accurately, D I Y B Y B (do it yourself because you’re broke). I had no guests because I couldn’t afford any and felt bad asking the same good people to step up again. This worked out for me in the end. It forced me to use my voice for sections where I heard strings. And forced me to push it out a little with what instruments I had in order to have a wee bit of sauce to go with the meat and potatoes.

It’s different. I am glad. Life is too short to live it on repeat.

The artwork is based on old photos I had seen of immigrants to the States around 1916. I often use photos to feed ideas for songs, painting and scenes in scripts. It all seemed to make sense as the Irish economy tanked and started to choke on the fat of bankers. Once more young Irish men and women were leaving. I was leaving. I am in fact, typing this from Los Angles where I now live. When I listened back to the songs, Black Crow Call and A Storín etc. it all made sense. So the artwork is a narrative of an immigrant arriving in a strange country and it not going so well.

In ways we are reminded of another MM fave, Wooden Wand for the uncompromising attitude and integrity that shines through together with a sometimes painful self-awareness that is expressed brilliantly through the music. What a duet they would make…

The album is highly recommended! You can order from his Bandcamp page here where 25% of what you pay to download this album will go to Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders.

You can visit his website here.

Download Declan de Barra – Watch It Burn mp3 (from Fragments, Footprints & The Forgotten)