It’s a great year for Irish music. Dublin-born singer, musician and producer, Constance Keane has today released her new single ‘Vines’, her second release as part of her solo project, Fears. Keane is also a member of the post-punk feminist band M(H)AOL.

On ‘Vines’, Keane combines a minimalist, atmospheric beat with introspective lyrics as she reflects on a difficult time in her personal life. Speaking on the inspiration for the song Keane says, “Listening back, I hear myself drowning in confusion as to why I can’t control my feelings and want to shed those thought patterns.” 

In 2020, Keane founded TULLE – an independent women-led record label – alongside Emily Kendrick, Hannah Partington and Melika Mills. The collective focuses on working with under-represented voices in the music industry. The Fears album will be the first to be released on their exciting new label. 

‘Vines’ is darker than the first Fears release and there’s a feeling that something isn’t right, made clear by the accompanying music video. In her first video, ‘Tonnta,’ (meaning waves) Keane and friends dance in a field in her iconic dresses which she makes out of the material Tulle – which is also the inspiration for the record label. The video ends with the singer alone in the sea.

‘Vines’ begins with this same image. Now alone, Keane emerges from the sea in a trance carrying a large rock toward Ballybrack Dolmen, which is a place of significance for the artist. 

‘‘I go to this dolmen each Winter Solstice, write down something we want to let go of from the previous year, and burn it. As the sun rises, the longest night of the year ends, and you look forward to longer days and a fresh perspective.’’

The link between the two videos suggests that these songs are smaller parts of a larger picture that we look forward to seeing presented in full on her debut album, Oiche, which is set to be released on May 7th. Check out Fears on Bandcamp here.