Ways of Seeing’s sophomore album, ‘The Inheritance of Fear,’ out now via Joyful Hour Records, is an intense, literate dive into the shadows of the past.

Led by songwriter James O’Donnell, the Cork quartet uses their atmospheric alt-rock to explore intergenerational trauma and the anxieties we involuntarily inherit.

Inspired by writers like Karl Ove Knausgaard and poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa, the album is rooted in the complex legacies of Irish identity. Lead single ‘Last Wave’ is an astute meditation on how cultural history…from a colonial past to a Catholic upbringing…weaves its way into the personal fabric of fear.

Musically, the record takes a darker, more dynamic turn. O’Donnell embraced heavier influences like Deafheaven and Protomartyr, recruiting producer Daniel Fox (Gilla Band, Sprints) to mix the tracks. The result is a substantial expansion of the band’s sound, melding the melodic grandeur of shoegaze with post-punk. From the literary references to the tribute instrumental ‘Solat’ dedicated to his late friend Eoin French (Talos), ‘The Inheritance of Fear’ is a thought-provoking statement that cements Ways of Seeing as one of the most compelling voices in the current Irish music scene.