The Present Race

Tada! This is my new EP – six songs exploring themes of climate destruction, ageing, genocide, tyranny, loss and self immolation for art.

I recorded all the songs myself at home, in the hall and the bathroom, over a few weeks in mid 2023. Most of the songs were written in 2020-2022 and record the break up with Rose although more in their kind of emotional content rather than lyrically. “This is what we chose” for instance, started out as a break up song really, but then the lyrics took me and the song in a different direction. Armenia is a bit older, I remember i started to write that when i sat beside the Goodradigbe River in Wee Jasper camping with my cousins when Rowan was just a little boy. And “She’d never think twice” is a tune that I first wrote way back in London in Ravenshaw Street, although the lyrics were added much later and only polished up at the last minute. Meredith is singing the backing vocals on that one.

I was saying during the launch at Smith’s Alternative (there is a phone video of the launch here) that it is a dark album, but at the bottom of that deep well of despair, underneath all the mud and slime, there’s a little door, and behind that door is where all the good jokes are.

The EP is now available on Bandcamp here – or can be streamed on the usual places from 1 December 2023. My band name is ‘Muletonic’ – I am Alaric Jones, the name I use for my poetry.

I also recorded a video of the lead single ‘This is what we chose’ which is on my YouTube account here (starring Wally my dog):

Update: I was lucky enough to be able to talk about my EP on Ciara Lawless‘ radio show on RosFM Irleland (thanks Ciara!). And my song “This is what we chose” was selected for the January 5 show on Redifolk radio (Redding, UK) – you can stream this show on Mixcloud.