VILLAGERS

Villagers operate as the creative outlet for Irish singer/songwriter Conor J. O'Brien, crafting atmospheric indie folk and chamber pop that merges the youthful energy of peers such as Jens Lekman, Eugene McGuinness, and Johnny Flynn with the classic rock and pop sensibilities of figures like Paul Simon and Robert Wyatt. Their 2010 debut Becoming a Jackal delivered instant acclaim, reaching the top of the Irish charts, climbing the British indie rankings, and securing a Mercury Prize shortlist nomination. While 2013's {Awayland} and 2018's The Art of Pretending to Swim introduced electronic textures, O'Brien and his associates maintained a firm connection to introspective folk traditions, a thread that continued through the expansive 2021 release Fever Dreams and the 2024 album That Golden Time.

Following the dissolution of his prior indie rock outfit the Immediate, O'Brien started developing solo songs and assembled Villagers toward the close of the 2000s. A self-performed four-track EP surfaced in 2009, after which he assembled Tommy McLaughlin, Danny Snow, James Byrne, and Cormac Curran to translate the material for the stage. Early critical interest led to opening slots for Neil Young and a European trek alongside Tracy Chapman. Issued on U.K. independent Domino Records in 2010, the first full-length Becoming a Jackal marked O'Brien as the label's initial Irish signing; it garnered widespread praise, earned another Mercury Music Prize nomination, and brought him the 2011 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for the title track.

Late in 2012 the band previewed their next album with the single "The Waves," signaling a shift toward electronic elements within their indie folk framework, before unveiling the completed {Awayland} in early 2013. Darling Arithmetic, the third album, appeared in 2015 and steered the project back toward reflective acoustic folk. The following year brought Where Have You Been All My Life?, a one-day session at London's RAK studio that revisited earlier compositions, most of them tracked in single or double takes without overdubs or heavy production. Personnel changes accompanied the release as Gwion Llewelyn and Mali Llywelyn joined after McLaughlin and Byrne departed. Seeking to revisit the sonic identity of the first two records, O'Brien guided the 2018 effort The Art of Pretending to Swim, folding in soul and electronic pop accents. Four unfinished tracks from those sessions formed the 2019 EP The Sunday Walker. Fever Dreams in 2021 reduced the electronic emphasis in favor of organic soft rock and relaxed R&B hues, while 2024's That Golden Time further refined folk and pop subtleties across a warmly textured, emotionally direct collection that included contributions from Irish folk veteran Dónal Lunny and American songwriter-violinist Peter Broderick.