Single Review | Joel Harkin | Vada

Joel Harkin is on a roll.

When the Donegal native first arrived in Belfast, he was as aspiring a songwriter as any. Not anymore, now he's the real thing. The release of debut EP 'Rosewater' in 2018 showcased Harkin's natural wit and conversationalist tone. At live shows, he garnered a reputation as a truly unique performer, talking to the audience in two facets. Firstly, in the space in-between. He always connected, engrossing crowds before he'd played a note on his heavily reverbed guitar. Secondly, through the songs themselves. Much like Sun Kil Moon's Mark Kozelek, Joel Harkin is a story teller with no desire to hide behind metaphor. He says exactly what he's thinking, in honest, often devastating detail. (There's a reason much of his merch is emblazoned with 'Joel Harkin Makes Me Cry')

We rejoin our hero on the cusp of releasing 'Never Happy', his debut record. Things have changed; the name Joel Harkin is synonymous across town with fatalism and tired, wandering thoughts. The kind of conversations you have by torchlight, in makeshift tents. On Rose Water's slumberous closer 'Charlie & Deirdre' he sings, "If I open my window, the city it leaks in" and on 'Vada', it's clear Joel Harkin has kept his window bolted shut. This is not a city song; this was born and raised in his subconscious, exploring a world where his childhood friends live alongside Thomas J, from the 1991 coming-of-age film 'My Girl'.

Instrumentally stunning, 'Vada' (named presumably after 'My Girl's protagonist) flows with all the ease and intensity that 'Smoke Signals' did for Phoebe Bridgers, albeit in a gentler way. You feel Harkin has really found his voice, bringing it right down to a whisper before scratching the skies when required. It's the small details that make records like this so special, and it is here that Joel Harkin is currently thriving. The unexpected colloquial hush of "We climbed a rooftop that night, so we did" looks ridiculous written down, but is captivating in Harkin's Donegal lilt. The song moves as one, clarinet and lush plucked strings reminiscing of idle days spent drinking red wine and listening to Andy Shauf's 'The Party' on repeat.

'Never Happy' may be an extraordinary record. Based off the singles we've heard so far, it will be an early contender for the NI Music Prize. It will arrive in strange times, but oddly, you feel it's author won't mind one bit.

Taylor Johnson