OUT NOW: Irish Artist Paddy Hanna shares new 80s tinted single "Harry Dean"
Cult musician Paddy Hanna announces his new single Harry Dean, the second release from upcoming album Oylegate.
In celebration of Oylegate, which arrives on Friday, 11th April on Strange Brew, Hanna plays Whelans on Thursday, 17th April. Tickets are €21.95 + fees and can be purchased here.
‘Harry Dean’ follows on from the warmly received lead single ‘Olyegate Station’, which earned significant national airplay (RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2FM Track of The Week, Red FM, Today FM Pick of The Week, iRadio and more). It was also noted amongst the best new Irish releases by Hot Press, The Thin Air and Chordblossom upon its January release.
Born from a descending piano motif inspired by Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, Harry Dean channels elements of George Michael and Sade, bridging Hanna’s contemporary production with the timeless allure of 80s soul-pop. The artist explains, “The romantic but bittersweet feel of the music then helped me to find the lyrics. I recalled the time I sold my beloved Guild Archtop guitar to make the rent, I thought of how I would cope if I were to lose my family, and everything came together in a pleasantly downbeat fashion. The finished product didn't end up sounding like Ryuichi Sakamoto, but his influence can really be felt in the song and the album’s) production”
After his fourth album, Imagine I’m Hoping, arrived to critical acclaim but not the mainstream success needed for him to continue on as a full-time musician, Hanna found himself at a personal and artistic low point. However, thanks to support from the Arts Council and the encouragement of his family, Hanna has returned as the intrepid captain of his own ship; he may not know the destination, but he’ll see us along the journey with his graceful pop sensibilities.
About ‘Oylegate’
Elation and exhaustion. Love and terror. The weight of responsibility and the strange, disorienting beauty of watching life unfold before your eyes. OYLEGATE, the upcoming album from Paddy Hanna, is a journey through the euphoric highs and crushing lows of parenthood, delivered with his signature blend of melancholic wit and lush, off-kilter charm.
Determined to sidestep the usual sentimental trappings of writing about having a child, Hanna found an unlikely creative companion in grim Soviet-era cinema. As he wrote, films like Solaris flickered in the background—bleak, meditative landscapes that mirrored the depths of sleep deprivation and the existential wonder of bringing a new life into the world. This contrast of warmth and detachment, of intimate revelation and surreal detour, courses through the album’s DNA.
Despite its moments of cold introspection, OYLEGATE is sonically rich and enveloping—an effect captured in a single request to producer Daniel Fox: "sweet, sweet caramel." Hanna wanted the music to feel like satin lining the listener’s ears, wrapping them in warmth even when the themes tilt towards darkness.
True to form, OYLEGATE marks yet another creative leap for an artist who refuses to be boxed in. "One advantage of being an ‘artist’s artist’ is that you never have to worry about being creatively different between albums. There's real freedom in doing whatever you want and not being judged for it. And even if you are judged, who gives a shit?"
That spirit of fearless exploration—of finding joy in the unknown, the absurd, and the deeply personal—defines OYLEGATE. An odyssey of tenderness and turbulence, it’s the sound of an artist embracing life’s messiest, most beautiful contradictions.
Harry Dean Music Video Credits
Writer/Director/Cinematographer/Editor: Eoghan O'Brien
Costume & Camera Assistant: Sundara O'Higgins
Production Coordinator: Amelia Conophy
Social Media Manager: Eve Christine Adolph
Label: Strange Brew
