Everybody Needs A Hero is Orla’s Gartland’s newest release – a 12-track exploration into long-term love that showcases Orla’s progression as both a musician and a songwriter.

The maturity of the writing truly draws the listener in. Orla sings about the issues (and pleasures) of young adult relationships with a self-awareness that shows her skill as a writer. On ‘Who Am I?’ Orla sings: “I can’t be your rock, and your lover, your mom,” and “You can’t be my responsibility, what if I want someone to take care of me?” The lyricism of trying to maintain a clear sense of identity in a relationship is prevalent throughout the record and elevates the tracks, with the relatability making the already cathartic songs (through the use of the instruments) that much more cathartic to listeners who can relate.

The LP has an infectious, bouncy sound. Tracks like ‘Backseat Driver’, ‘Three Words Away’ and ‘The Hit’ are very joyful, keeping the listener engaged with the indie-pop guitars driving a lot of the record. ‘Little Chaos’ is more alternative than pop, with an 80s inspired synth that separates it from the rest of the album. But the way that Orla sings the chorus reinforces that bouncy sound the album quickly establishes as a main feature, creating a tug-of-war effect with the layered vocals, different Orla’s singing for the focus during the chorus.

‘Late To The Party’ features British indie star Declan McKenna. The duo have crafted one of the best songs on the record, and a standout indie track of the year, with a tone shift early on surprising the listener and ensuring their attention is held as they switch between an eerie sound as Orla sings the pre-chorus, backed only by the bass, versus the chorus where a scratchy electronic guitar steals focus. The contrast between Declan’s and Orla’s vocals works well with the rest of the sound, not at all feeling out of place.

There are some weak songs on the record. ‘SOUND OF LETTING GO’ sticks out to me, with the lyrics being good and thematically consistent with the rest of the record but the instrumentation not working well with it, feeling much more like Imagine Dragons with the drums and bass. What is clear though is that throughout the record, Orla’s songwriting ability stands out as her greatest asset. At times it does a lot of the heavy lifting, like on ‘Kiss Your Face Forever’ where all the burden is on the lyricism, something she does pull off, creating a very fun and very upbeat pop track out of it.

The tender moments on the LP are the highlights. ‘Mine’ stands out as one of the best on the album due to the slower pace, emphasising her vocals and her writing which enables the emotions to be at the forefront. With lyrics like “I was an optimist, he said it seemed like I wanted it, oh ever since then it’s felt like a weakness,” and “It’s taken me twenty-eight years to let anyone touch me the way I let you” the vulnerability is extremely apparent. The stripped back nature is also shown in the instrumentation, also stripped back to just an acoustic guitar, vocals and various string instruments: violin, viola and cello. This acoustic-esque sound is first shown on the opening song ‘Both Can Be True’, instantly setting the tone of the record with just her vocals and a piano.

‘Everybody Needs A Hero’ closes the LP out and contains a bit of everything from the last 11 tracks. Starting out fairly subdued with just a guitar and her singing, the lyrics are once again vulnerable and open, it quickly becomes rockier halfway through, featuring powerful guitar chords that thunder with bass. The power chords come in in bursts to begin with, creating an interesting back-and-forth between her vocals and the power chords. As the song starts to reach a close, they then work alongside her singing, becoming more and more cathartic until the emotions explode in the last minute.

Everybody Needs A Hero is a vulnerable and powerful second album, with a heavy emphasis on Orla Gartland’s powerful songwriting abilities that are backed with interesting instrumentation. The stripped-back, emotional tracks are a highlight that do not hinder the flow of the album, with the more upbeat and faster alternative pop songs offering an interesting alternative to the album and creating a whole new layer to her lyricism and the meanings behind each track.

Order Everybody Needs A Hero HERE