Post-Party: Darkness Turn To Gold - about the new single and more

And as the sun came out

From underneath the stones

I sat and watched it burn

Darkness turn to gold

— Turn to Gold by Post-Party

Interviewed by Emma Bowen, Yuzhu Qin & Miyuki Wang

Foreword & Photos by Lia Qin

6 months since their last release 'Camera Shy', Post-Party are back with a new single that was actually written a long time ago, 'Turn to Gold' (click to listen). Some may call it the beginning of the band's new era, and I can only agree. This song has been with them for years and never been played live in recent gigs. The band said, and I quote, 'We knew when we wrote it that it had been set from the future'. And the future is now.

For those who are not familiar with Post-Party, they are a Dublin based four-piece indie-rock/pop band that consists of Keelan O'Reilly (vocal), Matthew O'Reilly (guitar), Peter Toal (drums) and Colin Peppard (bass).

Having the past experience of supporting artists like Miles Kane and The Sherlocks as well as playing Electric Picnic and sold out Dublin shows pre-pandemic, they had already built a solid reputation for themselves by the end of 2019. Lockdown didn't stop them from producing new music; They managed to release 3 singles and then brought those new tunes on road to shows supporting Inhaler, Wild Youth (Ireland + the UK tour) and New Rules as soon as the Covid restrictions were lifted in Ireland last year. I had the chance to see them a couple of times, and their energetic performance never failed to bring a smile to peoples faces. Post-Party is one of those bands that so obviously radiates their love and passion for playing live; It's not surprising that their time away from the stage after their Workmans gig in May was a tough time for the four of them.

Cover art designed by Patrick Coyle

If you listen to Post-Party, even just very briefly, you will notice 'Turn to Gold' is indeed quite different from all the songs they've put out so far: not the usual high-energy, bouncy, but often tinged with some sort of melancholy kind of feel-good indie rock music; this one sounds grander and more hopeful. With the heartbeat-like drum beat gradually building up to the first chorus, there's a brighter and more optimistic atmosphere peeking through, leading to an outburst of emotions in the bridge and reaching the climax where Keelan shouts "Be my guiding light". This is very cliché but it comes naturally for me to picture a cinematic scene of seeing golden light at dawn glimmer at the end of the tunnel after a long, exhausting journey while holding an important person's hand. We're not sure when or if there would be a music video of 'Turn to Gold' although I personally am hoping Colin can work his magic and visualise the feelings tangled in this song. (Their bassist Colin is also a talented writer, director and editor, check out his film page @colinpeppardfilm)

With the excitement of learning more about the band and their music, we reached out to Post-Party upon the release of 'Turn to Gold' and had a chat with Matthew about their new single, life as an independent band, inspirations/influences of their music and more.

Post-Party at Limelight (Belfast)

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First of all, can you tell us how the band started?

How did the four of you meet and decide to start making music together?

"The band existed for a long time before I was brought in. Maybe like 4 or so years? Me and Keelan met in college. We found out we share a middle name and last name. So it made sense we start a band you know? He introduced me to Peter and Colin and we became the like, big homogenous mess that Post-Party is. The first song Keelan showed me was the bones of what would become 'Love You Everyday.' So in one go I was exposed to some of Keelan's best work and his unique voice. I don't know if we'd be Post-Party without that voice of his. It's uniquely him."

Where does the name Post-Party originate from?

Were there any other names you planned on using before Post-Party came along?

"Post-Party just sounded dead cool. We went through a few names in the first year. Some really quite bad ones. But maybe Post-Party is bad too? I don’t really know. Like Arctic Monkeys isn't a good band name but the band are so good that you don't particularly care."

All the songs on your streaming platforms are relatively new, it’s quite a mystery to think about what Post-Party’s early music sounded like.

How would you say your sound has evolved over these past few years?

"Early Post-party music sounds pretty similar to what is available to listen to. We wore our early influences very much on our sleeve. So bands like Circa Waves and that particular era of indie rock. We've all gotten better as writers and are more willing to follow the lead of our own artistic selves. Which lands us with songs like 'Turn To Gold' and the next few singles that will be coming out."

Post-Party at Róisín Dubh (Galway)

Let's talk about your new single, 'Turn To Gold.'

Can you introduce the song to people who haven't listened to it yet?

"It's a song that has been with us for years and it's one that sees us move into an area of bombast and arena rock. It's unique in our catalog and it's a tune that doesn't really sound like the sound we've spent the last 5 singles crafting."

You've been mentioning that this track has a very special meaning for Post-Party.

What's the story behind it?

In what ways is 'Turn to Gold' different from your previous music?

"Yeah it's awfully special to us and to our friends It's a song Keelan wrote quite a good while ago. He really played a blinder with this song honestly. It's about the idea that things will get better and that one should demand what it is they deserve from life. It's just like this hopeful song. We don't have a lot of them. They're always tinged with some sort of melancholy but Keelan has found some sort of light with this one."

What was the musical influence behind your latest single and your other tracks?

Where do you find inspiration when writing new music? Also, what artists would you say that Post-Party as a band is influenced and inspired by?

"On the whole, we first bonded over the New York scene of the early 2000s and the bands that would come under that umbrella. The Strokes and LCD Soundsystem being the big ones of that scene. But then that extends out to The Killers and Kings of Leon and bands like Bloc Party in the U.K."

"We all have our own influences it creates one big melting pot of ideas. We all write songs but we used to write about quite juvenile things in juvenile ways at the start so like girls and nights out and stuff. We've kind of grown up a small bit. We still gravitate to writing about those very human experiences but I'd like to think now it's more to find some sort of earnestness instead of just complaining."

What creative processes do you go through when writing new music?

(What's a typical writing/recording process for Post-Party?)

"It's a bit of a strange one with us. We all write. Together and separately. So there's no like roadmap or set of rules we follow. One of us has an idea and it passes through these filtration layers. By the time a tune is finished, we've all touched off it in some way, shape or form. We all have our strengths."

"We all had a lot of fun in Longford with Mic and Johnny Cronin. They've a little residential studio down there in the country and you can work at your own pace and there's not some mad rush on figuring tunes out. You can let conclusions naturally present themselves which is always nice. Those lads are just great too. They're like a musical Bert and Ernie. You'd just let them talk at you for hours."

We know you've done an Irish headline tour before the pandemic, and you've supported various bands last year. What's it like doing these live performances and how do you find life on the road as a small artist?

"Playing shows is the main thing for us. It's the thing we love the most. I get really restless when I've not been on a stage for a long period of time. I honestly really love touring at the size we're at. I like the camaraderie of it all. I love being with my best friends in the back of some teeny weeny car and I love not being able to sleep cause I've to share a bed with Colin."

"Those 3 dates we did with Inhaler were amazing. We learned a lot from them. Not only from watching them live but in terms of seeing how they go about their business backstage and stuff. Same with Wild Youth earlier this year. Conor taught us a lot about how to work a crowd not just play in front of them."

Obviously, every band's dream is to have their own big headline tour. But if you were to choose any band to support on tour (any part of the world), which band would it be?

"That's such a toughie. We'd all have different answers probably. We were chatting about our dream producers the other day and we all had such wildly varying responses. I could turn around and say The 1975 but like, could we really improve their show?

I remember seeing Arctic Monkeys in 2014 in Marlay Park and the lineup was them, Miles Kane, Jake Bugg and Royal Blood. So just this entire afternoon of rock'n'roll. I feel when you play a show you owe the audience who've given you their time and money and attention. So if we were to create this dream lineup and also appease all 4 members of Post-Party you'd throw us on a bill with The Pixies or Duran Duran or Foals."

Post-Party at The Academy (Dublin)

What do you think about the music scene in Ireland at the moment? Would you say your home country and its history inspire the music you make?

"I think it's in a very good place. Especially if I'm to be selfish and look only at the guitar scene. Inhaler and Pillow Queens and Fontaines have the world looking at Ireland for rock music which is great for bands like us.

We're kind of on the edge of everything here. We're far from America and separated from Europe by the U.K. so I take great pride in how popular acts from here have become over the years."

"We're a culture of artists and storytellers which is something I'm very proud of. I love being Irish so much but I don't think we necessarily "sound" like an Irish band. I don't even really know what that means. We do take inspiration from Irish figures. Phil Lynott is a truly magical entity. He's just someone who radiates love and passion and empathy. But then you have these timeless writers like Beckett and Joyce and Behan and Binchy. You just seek to do them justice by making art that could stand by theirs."

As an independent band, what are the struggles you're facing as a relatively smaller artist? And what are the things you wish the music industry could be different for bands like you?

"Money is a big one. Being a band is such an expensive thing. Travel and recording and releasing but releasing in a way that'll do your work justice you get me?"

"If I could get rid of Tik Tok I would. I would shoot it into the sun. Colin's doing great work with that side of things and he's proper funny on it.

I'd love for people to be more open and receptive to physical music too. There's nothing like owning an album or a single on wax you know. It would make the music industry a must happier place."

Last but not least, what can we expect from Post-Party in 2023?

Any more new music or show announcements coming soon?

'Expect lots more.'

'See ya,

Post-Party x'

Colin & Matthew with Luciiio (our little mascot)

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The newest single 'Turn to Gold' is out on every streaming platform. Listen on Spotify / Apple Music / Amazon Music / and more.

cover art designed by Patrick Coyle

Don't forget to check them out on Instagram / Twitter (matthew is the funny little freak behind it, follow them for some entertainment on your timeline before twitter dies) / Tiktok (they claim they won't start dancing but who knows) / Facebook / Youtube.

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If you're into gigs or you're in a band, and you would like to be featured on our page (interview, gig review, playlist, etc.), please do not hesitate to contact us on instagram or email notaluciddream@gmail.com. We are excited to have more people involved in this little community!