- The Art of Pretending to Swim is the fourth album by revered Irish band Villagers. For all intents and purposes, the solo project of Conor O’Brien, Villagers have carved out a name on the basis of his exemplary songwriting and lyrical acumen. Endowed with an obvious knack for the craft, O’Brien’s almost quaint approach is obfuscated by the complexity of the production. This is the case more than ever on The Art of Pretending to Swim, which is far and away the most experimental album in Villagers’ burgeoning catalogue.
The follow up to their 2015 release, Darling Arithmetic, Villager’s new record casts a wider net, thematically. Coming off the back of a highly personal album, The Art of Pretending to Swim has a wider scope, touching on themes such as modern technology and religious faith. This is salient on first single, A Trick of the Light, where O’Brien asserts that “If I see a sign in the sky tonight / No one’s gonna tell me it’s a trick of the light / May never come but I’m willing to wait / What can I say, I’m a man of the faith”. An instantly catchy song, A Trick of The Light features O’Brien’s familiar acoustic guitar picking coupled with tight drumming and a terse bass line. It’s a perfect example of how Villagers produce folk songs with meaningful lyrics and pop sensibilities.
Fifth track, Fool, is another song rife with lyrical themes. With references to the all-encompassing nature of modern technology and eternal afterlife, Fool describes the compulsion we have to continuously look at our phones and get that next hit of dopamine. In the chorus, O’Brien bemoans being a fool for the promise of eternal life, rationalising it as “A kind of anaesthetic for the journey”. Again, Villagers export a heavy-hitting song in the form of a catchy three-minute number. However, this isn’t the case throughout the album. Other tracks, such as Love Came With All That It Brings and Real Go-Getter are more experimental in their production, covering new terrain for Villagers. Replete with hip-hop and electronic features, The Art of Pretending to Swim is an album that provides further evidence that Villagers are an endlessly talented band and that O’Brien is doubtless one of the most important songwriters of his generation.
- Jonathan Cloumassis.