At just 14 years of age, Irish musician Adam Geraghty has single-handedly written, recorded, performed and produced his début EP, Revolve, at his own home. It was released in December of 2012, and the first single, Oval Mirror, was released from the EP on 13th March of this year.
Geraghty has been playing guitar since he was 9 years old, and it didn’t take long for him to discover what felt natural to him. Adam cites some of his favourite musicians as Rory Gallagher, Neil Young and The National. With a musical taste like that to influence his own music, plenty of inspiration from the small town he lives in, and the drive to successfully complete his own EP at such a young age, Geraghty has what it takes to go far if he continues pushing.
I’m listening to these songs and thinking back to when I was 14 – there’s no way I’d have had it in me to do anything of that level at that age, in whatever field. Adam’s got an innate talent, and the confidence to make him try things that most 14 year old lads wouldn’t even consider. That in itself is to be admired and respected.
On top of that, he has managed to capture within his songs a very individual style, a certain desperation and level of emotion is there which you can’t learn – it’s just natural.
Oval Mirror starts out with a scratchy, electronic, psychedelic sound, it quickly builds, not unlike something you’d have heard from Pink Floyd, then moves into a bluesy guitar with a much slower pace. In come Geraghty’s vocals, and then his harmonies – that is the only part of the song that doesn’t do it for me. I’m not really sure why the high notes are there, and for me they don’t really compliment the song, which is a shame as otherwise it’s ace.
Next up is Watch It Grow, a mix of folk and blues, and his voice suits that style. I like the almost echoey sound of the vocals, and the layers of harmonies. The psychedelic feel also continues through this song – it’s a unique mix.
Track 3 is called Sticks and Mud. This is a more traditional, almost country style – it reminds me of someone else, but I can’t quite put my finger on who it is! The lower voice in the background is quite a similar idea to what Pokey LaFarge does for Jack White on I Guess I Should Go To Sleep. It’s a gentle, lilting acoustic tune – for me, it could do with having a little more “oomph”, but what that would involve, I don’t quite know!
Last on the EP is Silence to the Flames. It’s been described as being “similar to Explosions in the Sky, whilst still remaining unique” by Musical Magnificence blog. This is by far the strongest track on the EP – I hope Adam does more songs along these lines, as this could well be the formula that works best for him. This is single release material, in my opinion.
As I said, what Adam Geraghty has achieved here at such a young age is to be commended – he’s got potential, and skill, and the motivation to go far. I’m looking forward to hearing what else he’s got up his sleeve!
Buy the EP on iTunes or bandcamp.
Adam also writes reviews – this is his Tumblr blog.
Music vs. The World 