Ciarán is a 33 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom who originally formed a shoegaze outfit called NoWiFiii alongside HK as well as Romil Hemnani & Kevin Abstract. They would disband following their only extended play Memorial Day in 2015 & everyone would become members of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective, signing with the renown London indie label Ninja Tune to make his long-awaited solo debut.
The self-produced “Crown” works in some bare orchestral arrangements singing about having this heavy burden whereas “Loom” hooks up a guitar instrumental assuring his partner that he won’t ever leave if they call him. The lead single “K-Bar” prior to the “Green Ave” interlude blends bedroom pop, alternative R&B, neo-soul, neo-psychedelia, indietronica & minimal wave expressing his desire for a youthful connection just before “Houston”combines neo-soul, psychedelic soul, bedroom pop, smooth soul & neo-psychedelia for an ode to the 713
“Chevy” brings a more nocturnal atmosphere to the table depicting a heavy type of love prior to the 124 second “Claddagh” letting Embaci handle the sole verse, singing about emotional attachment & uncertainty using the traditional Irish ring as a metaphor. “White Leather” advises to stay back if your palm gets sweaty on the weapon while the 2-parter “Galvarino” fuses neo-psychedelia, bedroom pop, indie rock, slacker rock, neo-soul, trip hop, alt-pop, indie folk & glitch pop takes inspiration from the Mapuche warrior who had his hands cut off.
The 4th & final single “RED 99” after the “Bashment” interlude mixes alternative R&B, singer/songwriter, bedroom pop, indie folk, slowcore, neo-psychedelia & neo-soul hoping for this person allow Ciarán to find the words to say for the rest of their life while “Dummy” sings about how he’ll keep lovin’ ’til it’s all l’ve got. The closing track “Waterslide” finishes the artist formerly known as bearface.’s debut with some bagpipes & a somewhat repetitive lyrical structure.
Róisín has been a long time coming for anyone who used to enjoy Ciarán’s outros almost a decade earlier when BROCKHAMPTON blew up off the SATURATION trilogy & it definitely ranks amongst the most versatile debuts I’ve heard come out of that camp in some time along with one of the eclectic listening experiences I’ve had in 2026. His bedroom pop, alternative R&B, neo-soul, neo-psychedelia, indietronica, minimal wave, indie rock, slacker rock, trip hop, psychedelic soul, smooth soul, alt-pop, indie folk, glitch pop, singer/songwriter & slowcore production testifies to the artistic freedom he’s achieved since BH disbanded as he honors his Irish roots.
Score: 4.5/5
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