Once Mkv Hansard

The opening track on 2019's This Wild Willing, "I'll Be You, Be Me," begins with a fuzzy rhythm track and a bass patiently thumping over a clanky rhythm machine as Glen Hansard delivers his lyrics in an ominous murmur. Four minutes later it snowballs into a massive tower of cacophony with guitars, keyboards, and strings united in a howling frenzy of sonic force. It's a powerful way to start an album, and while it's easily the set's boldest departure from the introspective but passionate indie folk that has been Hansard's trademark, it sets the stage for a set that finds Hansard pushing his stylistic boundaries. This Wild Willing was primarily written during a four-week working holiday in Paris, and Hansard received input and inspiration from a wide variety of fellow artists, running the gamut from Irish traditional folk instrumentalists to experimental electronic musicians. Hansard merged his subdued but passionate melodies and lyrics with the many musical favors of his collaborators and has given us an album that pushes him forward as a recording artist.

Irish folk songwriter Glen Hansard will return early next year with his third solo album, Between Two Shores.

Following up 2015’s GRAMMY nominated Didn’t He Ramble, and his 2012 solo debut Rhythm and Repose, the ten-track collection was produced by Hansard himself for the first time. The culmination of more than six years of writing and recording, Between Two Shores came together in only a matter of weeks. This past March, Hansard booked himself time at Black Box Studios in France with the original idea of taking inventory of his songbook.

Irish folk songwriter Glen Hansard will return early next year with his third solo album, Between Two Shores. The follow-up to 2015’s Grammy-nominated Didn’t He Ramble is due out January 18th via Anti-.