Paddy has weathered his own personal storms and has Mutated into a fine solo artist

Hanna staying calm ahead of the imminent release of his new album

Like many across the country, Paddy Hanna spent the week battling the elements.

Frankly, I Mutate the highly anticipated second album by Paddy Hanna gets it’s Irish release today, in the midst of one of the worst snowstorms in years.

Making sure his vinyls have been delivered to shops on time has been a priority for Hanna who streamed Frankly, I Mutate ahead of it’s official release.

Hanna made a number of records fronting Grand

Pocket Orchestra as part of the Popical Island collective, but the Dublin musician admits to finding his own feet since breaking out on his own.

“In the early days I hadn’t really figured out who I was personally, and lacked the confidence to truly express what it was I wanted,” says Hanna, explaining his decision to go solo to make his debut LP Leafy Stiletto in 2014.

“I worked in certain bands and there were times when I let certain things show up albums – solos keyboard lines – that I wasn’t really happy with, but didn’t have the balls to say it I suppose.

“We reached a point with my previous band, Grand Pocket Orchestra where I felt that I wanted to make a solo record.”

The result was Paddy Hanna’s debut LP – a record that takes it’s inspiration from sounds of the 70’s.

Hanna’s Baritone vocal, the warm drivetime guitar sounds, were well received by critics and gave Hanna the confidence to start work on new solo material.

While, Leafy Stiletto’ had a definite sound and fell, Hanna was unsure of where to go with it’s follow-up.

A meeting with Daniel Fox of Girl Band proved the catalyst for much of what was to come, Fox came on board along with fellow Girl Band member Adam Faulkner.

Hanna says the duo have made a big contribution to his latest project.

“We took the unusual route of lavishly recording many of the tracks around roughly recorded demos, almost like tracing over a four-track demo with an orchestra”.

“My manager at the time suggested I work with Daniel who is a producer in his own right, which made sense for me.

“I was a fan of theirs before I got to know them personally, and then you know we kind of geeked out on music a couple of times”.

“I had been itching to make a record and had a bunch of songs but I wasn’t certain about how I wanted it to sound.

“The last record was all about knowing exactly how I wanted it to sound and suddenly I had no idea where to go next.

“Then I meet Daniel and he had an idea for where he wanted to take my songs, and I was very much down with what he was selling”.

Hanna says the album title represents the “death throws of an emotional battle between light and dark – between cynicism and outright mindless joy”.

“The album mutates constantly and takes on different forms.”

It’s a record that deals with some heavy themes, and dark periods in Hanna’s life, such as his father’s illness, which had a profound affect.

Songs like Mario Lanza, deal with the pain of the potential loss of his father.

“I was at a very low point in my life when my dad was sick. He fell into a coma for a fortnight – that kind of f **** d me up a little bit.

“I hid in alcohol and I turned away from opportunity and my loved ones and so forth and became a wreck.

“When I play music I gravitate towards poppy guitar riffs and that’s what you can hear from that particular song, but when it was written I became aware that was me putting a veil over the sadness I felt at the time.”

Though he has built solid fanbase on Irish shores, Paddy Hanna is still a largely unknown quantity internationally.

His sophomore release will do much to change that.

Frankly, I Mutate is in all good record stores from today, you can also buy it on Bandcamp.

The album launch is taking in place in Dublin’s Whelan’s (Upstairs) on March 9. Tickets priced €10 available online from WAV Tickets.

‘I was at a very low point in my life when my dad was sick. He fell into a coma for a fortnight – that kind of f **** d me up a little bit’