A.S. Fanning

“…a brooding baritone worthy of Matt Berninger…” - Clash

“…remarkably eclectic…” - Hot Press

Irish multi-instrumentalist A.S. Fanning prepares to release his cosmic new album Mushroom Cloud on 26th May 2023 via K&F Records/Proper Octopus Records.

His most vulnerable release to date, Mushroom Cloud combines dark lyricism with soaring orchestration in order to create something that is beautifully melancholic as a result. Textually, it channels Leonard Cohen’s 'The Future’ and sees Fanning as seemingly the level-headed chronicler of a perishing world. The expansive rock soundscapes build into stunning melodic arcs around Fanning’s distinctively warm baritone vocal. Each track is thoughtfully layered, ornately poetic and delicately intimate.

Talking about the album, Fanning elaborates, “I wrote Mushroom Cloud at the beginning of the pandemic, when society had shut down and we had no real knowledge of when, or if, it would start again. As with most people at the time, I became quite isolated and my world grew very small… I haven’t really looked for any silver linings in this myself. I suppose the best I can do is to see it as a document of a low point. A sort of scorched earth that hopefully leads to a new beginning. I found myself laughing at some of the lyrics I had written, which I think is quite a healthy thing, to be able to take a step back from your darker thoughts and see the absurdity in them."

Fanning is a singer-songwriter from Dublin currently residing in Berlin. He began this solo project in 2013 after the breakup of his former band, The Last Tycoons. Fanning released his sophomore album You Should Go Mad in 2020, receiving support from Clash Magazine, Hot Press, The Thin Air and Spectral Nights to name a few, as well as BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq. He also performed at Austin’s prestigious SXSW festival in 2017.

Catch A.S. Fanning live at the following dates:

  • 14th June - Servant Jazz Quarters - London

  • 15th June - The New Adelphi - Hull

  • 16th June - Heartbreakers - Southampton

  • 17th June - Bootleg Social - Blackpool

  • 18th June - Komedia - Bath

  • 19th June - Folklore Rooms - Brighton

Mushroom Cloud is out on 26th May 2023 via K&F Records/Proper Octopus Records.