Autumn Owls

"...like all good debut albums, you can hear Autumn Owls stepping outside their influences and working towards a truly original sound." - Metro Herald

"..in rejecting any single lodestar amongst the band’s eclectic constellation of influences—think the Sea And Cake, Mike Kinsella and the late Jay Bennett joining Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds onstage for a free-for-all jam circa-Tender Prey—Autumn Owls delivers that rarest of birds: an album able to surprise and evolve track by track." - Magnet Magazine

"Between Buildings, Toward the Sea is an incredibly constructed record, full of intricate patterns and delicate touches. Whether it’s a guitar glitching (and there’s a lot of that), a voice being modified, or deceptively pretty melodies being eerily contrasted (“The Arched Pines”), Autumn Owls know what they’re doing. This is easily one of the best albums of the year." - Independent Clauses

"...a dynamic, captivating, dark and glorious 21st century record." - Opinears

"Each track on BBTSS is crammed full of cliche-free twists, turns, original arrangements, experiments, and weightily opaque lyrics....an ideas-packed grab bag of melancholic, progressive indie." - Subba-Cultcha

"a defiant debut....compelling and unsettling" - Hot Press

"Tracks like Great Atlantic Drift and All The Lights In New York are as expansive and arresting as anything I have heard this year, the whole album working beautifully as a whole; a riveting, filler free post rock journey." - Seen It Heard It

"...a record that will see you through times between in beautiful fashion. ‘Between Buildings, Toward the Sea’ is interesting, intricate, and well worth your time." - Already Heard

"With its foreboding vocals and slow-building atmosphere, it is a perfect release for this time of year." - Aoife Barry, The Irish Times

“pretty awesome post-rock….All in all, it’s a pretty stellar album to play at 2am in a dingy pub when everyone is beyond the euphoric drunkenness but rather looks back at their life choices and ponders whether they had been right.” - I lost my panties in the moshpit!

“Irish band Autumn Owls have somehow managed to infuse their atmospheric, experimental, some might say chilly sound with the unexpected warmth of folk-rock. It’s a dichotomous blend that finds them digging into the rich loam of both Americana influences and that of some of their more cerebral musical neighbors in the U.K.” - Pyxis Magazine

“So we’ve had I Am Kloot and Badly Drawn Boy and they were fine, you know, alright. Autumn Owls have the same vocal tone and lyrical intrigue but instead of dressing it with pleasurable (but over-twanged) acoustic chords they scream out complex guitar arpeggio’s and jazz inspired off-kilter bass riffs.” - The Subterranean

“If this is how great they sound live, they will surely earn a loyal following show by show…and we’re are expecting big things from them in the coming year.” - The Hip Subscription

“Ireland represent! The slowly moving ‘Patterns’ might sound like a slightly cheerier I am Kloot (miss those Mancs) but with the added wizardry of a 9 level Priest of Post Rock (TM), who adds layers and layers of high-density dreamwaves in the form of heavy delayed notes and jarring chords. It starts slowly but then becomes as treacherous as the sea. The ending atmosphere is just perfect.” - Sloucher

“Crunchy, angular indie-rock reminiscent of Radiohead’s more personable moments and Menomena’s intensely structured early work.” - Independent Clauses

“..The Irish trio traffics in melancholy, fall-ready harmonies. Their new single “Patterns” plays like the perfect anthem for herding the changing of the seasons.” - Under The Radar

“”Great Atlantic Drift”….a really dark and intricate tune that seems to offer something new to discover each time you listen to it.” - Austin Town Hall

““Great Atlantic Drift” is as atmospheric as it is powerfully immersive – it starts with a quiet whisper and then opens its mouth up wide, to swallow the listener up.” - Alan Cross

“”Great Atlantic Drift” is a song that explores a sonic atmosphere so filled with pathos you can’t help but to close your eyes and travel along with each note and melody.” - FILTER

"Byways… coming on as a spacious, uncapped flourish of the group’s storytelling quill; like Nick Cave dipped in the swamps of languid Florida climes. A journey of a song then, but one that wears every inch of its creation proudly on its sleeve." - Music City Post

“...the experimental nature of the compositions may not be to everyone’s taste. But this is an unusually atmospheric recording and will whisper into your heart, if you allow it.” - Ramzine

“…a record of deliciously cold, atmospheric indie rock, packed full of eerie guitar riffs, stuttering drums and haunting, reverb-drenched vocals.” - Planet Mosh

"Between Buildings’ is best taken as a whole....The band have found a style their comfortable with, and it just so happens to be a very good sound indeed." - Live Music Scene UK

"With changing rhythms, stuttering beats, atmospheric, winding guitar lines and a slightly pained vocal, tracks like the epic 'All The Lights In New York' and 'Semaphores' take their time to embed in your brain but once they do you'll be glad of it....there's simply so much to ingest and something new to be heard with each listen." - The Sound Of Confusion

"...brilliantly creative lyrics...as the tracks go by this album comes of age very nicely. For Autumn Owls, this album is a very good place to start." - Indie Is Not A Genre

“…a careful and considered body of work. Every sound and every note played seems carefully orchestrated, and is only played where it needs to be. These guys are crafting a sound that is them, and they are easily masters of their trade.” - Rock Regeneration

“Autumn Owls are releasing their album at exactly the right time, and not just because the band name fits with the season. No, ‘Between Buildings, Toward The Sea’ is an album of glitching textures, dark atmospheres, and everything people struggle with as the nights get long and the days run quickly away.” - Supajam

“..highlights include the dark and intricately layered nuance of ‘Great Atlantic Drift’ and the eerie and shimmering guitar strains that dominate ‘Patterns’. There’s an epic quality to the haunting second to last number ‘All the lights in New York’ that really stays with you. This really is a record that draws in the listener and improves with each additional listen.” - LyricLounge

“I keep thinking of Portishead as I listen to this album, and the closing moments are no different in my head, finishing on a track which will pull you in, make you listen, and leave you knowing that you’ve just witnessed something pretty damned special.” - LoudStuff.com

"Between Buildings, Toward the Sea is a highly principled album that features exemplary musicianship, a cool center, and just the right amount of a turbulent edge. The music of Autumn Owls exemplifies the beauty that can be found in restraint, a trait that too many contemporary Brit-rock acts have forgotten." - Dryvetyme Onlyne

"The moody indie shimmer of Byways of the Lifeless and the stoic Unconvinced will please fans of I Am Kloot, Radiohead and The National. This is an unabashedly indie album, but one that determinedly pursues a line in depth and atmosphere." - The Irish Times

“Autumn Owls’ debut album is not for the faint-hearted….but there’s an impressive grandeur about this unremittingly bleak record that suggests the Owls could yet develop into a great band for all seasons.” - Sunday Business Post

"It's been a long time coming, but Autumn Owls have delivered their debut album 'Between Buildings Towards The Sea'. This is an album that you'll grow to love more and more - a beautifully produced 12-track debut." - Dan Hegarty, RTE 2FM Album Of The Week

"The songs that lead singer Gary McFarlane writes and sings, are by no means difficult to love and appreciate, but they are incredibly adventurous and exploratory. They are like the freaky, gothic songs that AA Bondy hasn't written yet. They are what's left of desperate souls when there's no benefit to desperation anymore, when the lights have dimmed." - Daytrotter

“We like this Irish trio enough to have featured their single ‘Patterns’ as a recent free MP3 download, and now that we’ve played that tune a number of times, we’re psyched for the Oct. 23 release of their full-length debut, ‘Between Buildings.’ Actually, psyched isn’t the right word. The Owls make stately sad-bastard rock for fans of Modest Mouse and the Walkmen, so let’s just say we’re amenable to spinning this sucker while we eat bagels and read the Sunday New York Times with our spouses.” - Diffuser

Freshly pressed and currently on the shelves, Autumn Owls new EP On The Trail Of The Disappearing proves they've had a productive year. Its their second EP, following on from the Insomnia Lodge EP. Akin to that release, its a dark, atmospheric album miles ahead of their formative state
Their string-based closer, Childhood slideshow, reveals itself to be the EP's stunner, with the music complimenting Gary McFarlane's baritone vocals - The Star

A brooding, rich sound of acoustic guitars, subtle keyboard and husky vocals makes for some haunting listening.
Autumn Owls are utterly absorbing. - Channel 4 (UK) Planet Sound

These four young Dubliners have enormous potential. Some of it is a bit like Nick Drakes older brother singing for an experimental Wilco. Other parts are unique. Its subtle and interesting, and despite the complicated song structures they dont get too self-indulgent A Fantastic debut. Album please! 4/5 - News of the World

Fledglings they may be, but autumn owls debut EP Insomnia Lodge is a work of accomplished song-craft, the melodies carefully measured but intoxicating in even the smallest of doses.

These are the sort of songs that soundtrack those troubled moments when we lay awake in the dead of night, brows furrowed, souls heavy. The gorgeously melancholic feel of the music is mirrored in Gary McFarlane's lyrics:as songs such as 'Submission Serenade' and 'Love is Just a Place' betray, he's a man who's known love to go awry. There is an Americana tint to certain songs, but generally, autumn owls are navigating their own path. - AU Magazine

One of the most unusual bands in Ireland at the moment is Autumn Owls, who released an excellent debut EP, Insomnia Lodge, this year. Their second EP, On The Trail Of The Disappearing, packs no less punch......bleak and experimental"
- News of the world

Autumn owls are an evolving musical entity. Yet they already display a courage and deftness of touch that places them ahead of bands with more exalted reputations.

Thats because Autumn Owls operate on the fringe, where they're under no obligation to please crowds, industry moguls or radio programmers. Its an exciting time to be in a band at this stage of development as Autumn Owls earlier, folksier sound mutates into something edgier and tougher.

Autumn Owls are distinctive. The five tracks on the band's debut EP, Insomnia Lodge, displayed their acoustic roots swathed in ambient sounds. It remains a quietly thrilling introduction. But it's already part of the Dublin quartet's history.

However, with two impressive EPs to their credit, the group are now concentrating on making their live show work better - Evening Herald

For the first few moments of A Thousand Blind Windows, I was expecting the ensuing EP to be a draining and morose experience. The track in question is not distinctly memorable, requiring more than a few spins for its intricacies to be revealed. Featuring trademark husky vocals, an experimental base of acoustic guitar and understated keyboards, Autumn Owls turned out to be a pleasant and exciting surprise. These four young Dubliners have skilfully mastered the art of atmospheric and unsettling rock. Raindrops in the River ups the ante slightly more than the opener, with the band sounding more professional and comfortable in their own skin. Meanwhile, The Wolf By The Mountain is a creeping and lilting number deserving of a better title. Bad Blood sees the band display some force, erupting momentarily before swiftly turning into an absorbing and melancholic instrumental worthy of any swansong. Finishing up with the trippy Childhood Slideshow, On the Trail of the Disappearing easily displays the depth and skill Autumn Owls are capable of. It will be interesting to see how their more haunting moments carry in the live setting. - State.ie

It is the quiet ones you have to look out for. Dublins Autumn Owls might not give a hoot (ouch!) for the basic art of hype-driven self- promotion, but if they continue to release mini-albums as good as this, they wont need PR. The follow-up to their debut EP, Insomnia Lodge, On the Trail of the Disappearing is a statement of strong intent: the five songs might rely on side orders of Whipping Boy and Echo the Bunnymen, but the main course is irrefutably their own work. Songs such as A Thousand Blind Windows, Raindrops in the River and Childhood Slideshow fuse tension with subtlety; there is a rock vibe but its tempered with smart, not-too complicated arrangements that belie the bands age and experience. You havent heard of them until now? Thatll change this year. - The Irish Times

The bleak heart of Autumn Owls 2008 debut Insomnia Lodge EP remains, but here we find the sound richer, their intent persuasive and the blood pumping darker. The arrangements are complex but never to the point of confusion. In fact, its purposeful and absorbing, with Bad Blood a fine example. Gary McFarlanes vocals weave you into their world and there we find them challenging their own boundaries, mixing freedom and restraint. Autumn Owls are taking a slow approach but this is only encouraging and with On The Trail Of The Disappearing we find that they are continuing to explore the immersive depth of their talent. - AU Magazine

"With an eerie guitar, weighty bass and poetic lyrics (Allen Ginsberg fans will recognize the song title of A Thousand Blind Windows), Autumn Owls music creeps up on you when you least expect it, then suddenly hits you with such a force that youll find it difficult to walk away at the end of this E.P. Straight out of Ireland, this four-piece band offers nothing short of spectacular material on its second release of 2008. Gary McFarlanes vocals are haunting and exquisite, and achieve the effect of being subtle yet utterly commanding of your attention at the same time. The five songs that are assembled on this E.P. range from acoustic to abstract to a beautiful combination of the two, and are faintly reminiscent of Radioheads early experimental days. With an unparalleled sound thats clearly ambitious for such a new act, On the Trail plants a new seed of admiration and an eagerness to learn what is yet to come from Autumn Owls." - Amplifier Magazine (US)

Recently home from a marathon US gig stunt that included SXSW among many others dates, Dublin’s Autumn Owls two E’s exude an intricate, intense, and lyrical sound inviting Wilco and National-esque comparisons. ‘A Thousand Blind Windows’ is a particular stand out track. They’re off to NXNE in Canada in June and intend to record their first album before year’s end with young Irish desk-merchant Ciaran Bradshaw (Dark Room Notes, Olivcer Cole, Subplots) slated to produce. - Nialer 9