Irish singer-songwriter Sorcha Richardson – just like London artist emie nathan – went to college in the U.S. before returning home.

Consequently, Sorcha understands the world a lot better than most of who didn’t study abroad – and her songs have gravitas and wisdom. Every song on Sorcha’s new album Smiling Like An Idiot lures you in with hypnotic vocals and stellar songwriting. You can quickly see why she’s already being compared to Phoebe Bridgers – and why she was asked to open shows for Mitski.

Her song “Purgatory” opens with these unforgettable lines:

I say yes when I should say nothing

I say nothing when I should say no

Richardson notes that the new album is “about falling in love with a person and a place, which in this case is Dublin, and how those two are interlinked.” After attending the New School in NYC and making industry connections in L.A., Sorcha returned to Dublin. She turned the living room of her late grandparents’ house into a studio and began working
long-distance with producer Alex Casnoff (Sparks, Dawes), who produced most of the tracks on the new release.

When you listen to master songwriters – whether it’s Dylan or Lucinda Williams – you can tell in the first four bars when a song is a classic. I feel the same way about Richardson’s songs on Smiling. “The stakes in these songs feel high, these moments are so charged and magnetized, and I wanted the music to match that adrenaline,” she says.

On “Spotlight Television”, Richardson beautifully captures the early, awkward moments of a romantic tango:

I got stage fright coming home

’Cause I was way too tired to be myself,

But I’ll keep getting smaller for you

On the song “Good Intentions”, Sorcha asks the question that’s at the very heart of every new relationship:

If I tell you that I love you

Would that be overkill?

Sorcha’s song “Archie” perfectly captures the societal forces that cause young people to become indie artists:

If you get a way out, call me when you land

I’ve been making posters, trying to start a band

Waiting on the weekend, there’s nothing for me here

Said ‘Don’t you be a stranger, don’t you disappear’

Richardson’s 2019 album First Prize Bravery is just as spellbinding as her new record. She’s an extraordinary talent who is proving that you can go home again.