Irish singer-songwriter Sadhbh Keane explores addiction through the language of a toxic relationship on ‘Signals’, the latest single from forthcoming EP Anam, due October 23. Written in the first person to the drug itself, the song captures the compulsive push and pull of returning to something destructive, giving its subject a deeply human and quietly melancholic perspective.
Beginning delicately with acoustic guitar, ‘Signals’ soon expands into a full-band arrangement alongside Keane’s band Na Reálta. Atmospheric lead guitar moves around the acoustic foundation, occasionally stepping forward with brief melodic flourishes, while steadily building drums give the song its brooding intensity. It sits comfortably in indie singer-songwriter territory, gradually increasing its weight without losing the intimacy at its core.
Keane’s vocal is undoubtedly the star. Rich with her natural Irish inflection, her delivery feels raw, expressive and intensely personal, as though she really is addressing another person rather than an addiction. There are echoes of SOAK in that distinctive combination of accent and emotional directness, but Keane makes the perspective entirely her own. ‘Signals’ leaves behind a lingering melancholy, capturing the exhaustion of recognising a destructive cycle while still struggling to break free.
