Callum Orr’s road to his first album, which is a deeply personal exploration rendered in colourful folk style, has been a potted one. From a life changing time spent living in Canada to a yearning for home in Ireland and the fear of a family illness, the record tracks periods of emotional turmoil and self discovery, 

Entitled ‘The Trails Of Knowing’, Orr’s record is essentially built on the concept of life’s inevitable twists and turns, and coming out of the other side.

“I’m mostly self-taught, and like to dabble in a bit of everything,” he says of his roots. “The first instrument I picked up was the drums when I was 10, and I very quickly took to it and was hooked. This set a good basis for picking up a guitar later on. There was always a guitar in my house as my dad and brother are both great players.”

“I learned how to play ‘First Day of My Life’ by Bright Eyes all the way through when I was 14 and was chuffed with myself. I realised that at its core, songwriting is actually a simple process – it’s the inspiration that’s rare. I had no shortage of inspiration as a 14 year old though, so I hit the ground running.”

Orr’s record is in some ways a true exploration of self. “It does make me relate to the songs in a much closer way,” he says, “and it’s much easier to tap into the emotion when playing the thing live. That being said, I’ve been immersed in these songs for the last few years and have heard each one so many times and in so many states of undress, that I’m not a reliable judge on it I reckon.”

The diagnosis of Orr’s mother with cancer, which thankfully she ultimately came through, is a big part of the inspiration behind many of the songs. “especially the song ‘Hello Marianne’,” he says “It’s very much not present in the first few tunes, but I think the album does have a fear to faith kind of arc. The first half is very pessimistic, the second half is very optimistic.”

Part of the record is also an exploration of Ireland from afar: both from life in Canada, and an eventual return home. “There were lots of hard things about repatriating after Vancouver,” he says. “The friend group to whom I had been so close was now fractured and had a different aspect. I left a really vibrant community behind in Vancouver. I had no job, I was living with my sister on her good graces. I was kind of floating and at a low ebb and one song was an attempt to put a frame on that.”

“The feedback I get on the live show is usually a lot more positive than my inner critic,” he continues, “and I’m getting better at listening to that and just enjoying playing. I like to do big productions for launches – there will be nine people, including a string quartet, on the stage with me at the album launch in the Cellar on July 20.”

“My hopes for the record are simply that people enjoy the melodies and the textures of the songs; that they come back to it and look forward to listening to it. I want to make long bus journeys a bit nicer. I have album number two half written and am very excited about the songs, so will get cracking on that early next year.”