The Swell Season Release First New Album In 16 Years 'Forward'

07-13-2025

(PPR) The Swell Season's long-awaited and anticipated new album, Forward, arrived in stores, marking the acclaimed duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglová's first full-length since 2009.

Produced by Sturla Mio Thorisson and recorded at his and Irglova's Masterkey Studios in Iceland, the album has been earning praise and support from NPR Music, No Depression, Popmatters, Songwriters On Process podcast, This Song Is Yours podcast, and WXPN's World Cafe, among many others.

The Oscar-winning duo have also shared a video for the stunning piano-driven track "I Leave Everything To You," filmed in Iceland by Irglova and Thorisson. Additionally featuring original Swell Season musicians Marja Gaynor and Bertrand Galen (strings) and Joseph Doyle (bass), as well as newcomer Piero Perelli (drums and percussion), Forward is now available in stores and across all platforms.

The Swell Season will launch their Forward tour of the U.S. and Canada tonight in Vienna, VA; the dates also include a July 26th show at Brooklyn, NY's Kings Theatre and a September 19th stop at Los Angeles, CA's The Greek. A full itinerary is below.

Irglova also shared the below regarding the album's creation, in celebration of the release: "We called the album Forward, because the word kept coming up in a few of the songs we had been working on during our three studio sessions. What it meant to us in the context of the album title was the old familiar energy in new material born out of re-connecting as old friends in new circumstances.

"In the songs, the word seems to suggest the forward motion in spite of feeling somewhat held by the past, struggling to break free of it, which is interesting, because thankfully, neither Glen nor I felt that way.

"And yet the sentiment was undeniably there in our songs.

"After being asked about this quite a few times in interviews, I thought a little harder about why this might be. The best explanation I've been able to come up with is, that perhaps there were things nestled into our subconscious, that never got released or settled at the time The Swell Season ceased all activity. It was the end of an era disguised as a small break. Who could have known we would be carried so far in different directions by life's mysterious currents.

"14 years later, we found ourselves in a studio again, and it felt like the time was just right. Sitting in a room together with our instruments I remember inviting the creative energy in, hoping it would show up, knowing one couldn't count on it. When it entered the room it was like an old friend making an appearance. I was happy to be working in the familiar space of our studio in Iceland, which felt so safe and supportive to the process, like a cocoon. I was so glad that Glen found working with Mio, the studio engineer and producer, as comfortable and enjoyable as I have over the last decade.

"It seemed that everything in our lives aligned for us to be able to make this record a reality, we had the time, the songs, supportive partners, and a loving family who came to our aid feeding us and minding our children. Our musician friends joined us in the studio, a local Icelandic photographer and friend Marino Thorlacius took shots of us and a beloved Irish artist Colin Davidson provided the cover art. Mio applied his graphic design skills, creating the album design and arranged mastering with Scott Hull at Masterdisk, after which we were ready to send the finished album into production.

"Two years after the first studio session, and tons of preparation work from our management and marketing team, the album is finally coming out, and we are really excited to share it with you and hear what you make of it. Thank you for being here. Thank you for reading this and for listening to our music".