WotD return after what was a truly amazing 18 months with several Jazz FM Playlists (Deb Grant) & BBC 6 Music Premieres (Huey) and support from Steve Lamacq as well as loads more support across local BBC stations, Dan Hegarty at RTE2 fm, and all this was  rewarded with positive press in the nationals and from tastemakers across Ireland and beyond confirming last year’s album ‘Anthropause’ was a hit.

Off the back of the album WotD were invited out to Ibiza to DJ at the world famous Cafe Del Mar & the legendary Pikes Hotel, and it was the sunset DJ set that got them thinking “If I’m gonna DJ as the sun actually goes down, I’m not playing anyone else’s track” so they set about making something new. ‘On the Balcony at Sunrise’ was that track, and it caught the attention of DSPPR records label Boss Chris Coco and was pretty much signed within a week of it getting its 1st play at the cafe. It went on the get a reimagining from Chris and was shared with the top Sunset & Balearic DJs in Ibiza, going on to have further plays at Hostal la Torre, Cafe Mambo, Pikes, Amnesia, WOM and more. 

Warriors of the Dystotheque

With all this love being shown for the track Jonny from WotD was back out in Ibiza in September for another round of DJ sets, this time hooking up with DSPPR label boss Chris. Together they came up with the idea of a WotD album for the summer of ’23, which brings us to ‘Be My Star / Beachside Drive’ (Release Date: July 18th, 2023), the 1st single off the new forthcoming album ‘It’s a Beautiful Thing’.

For the 1st time in the 8 years of the WotD project, instead of working exclusively online, Jonny met up with the other members. Firstly he hooked up in Coventry with his old friend Sean and they started the album with a few ideas, also enrolling a new member, Kevin Sharkey, who’s also from Derry where Jonny is based although he’s living in England and is a well respected session drummer (Groove Armada / The Undertones). This gave him the idea that he needed to make the jump and get over to the US and into Mike & Nick‘s studio, and as luck would have it they had just moved from NY to Florida so in March he went to Florida with 9 tracks to overdub and create a few more from scratch whilst out there… things went so well that he returned to Ireland with 20. This was all whilst hanging at the studio with a pool in the backyard. Sure beats Irish weather.

“Whilst out in Florida we drove along the A1A Beachside Drive for about 30 miles and went to Coco Beach for some food. It was truly inspiring so when we got back to the studio we wrote Beachside Drive in no time. On the flight home to Ireland I was listening to the demos, and could hear a low baritone voice over the track and luckily I know Ashley so I sent it to him the moment I landed really.”

Jonny says:

“I met Jonny in the lobby of Virgin Radio in 2017, so when I got an email from him about a track I was already aware of the sort of sound I was gonna hear, but I was surprised when a rather delicious, atmospheric summer track landed in my inbox. I liked it so much I only had to think about it for a day, whereupon I fired back a demo to Jonny, who played it to the band and they evidently liked it, so I set to work finishing it with my trademark baritone voice (as requested) and shimmering clumps of backing vocals, topped off with a bit of amateur trumpet. Bosh. A chillout love song for the middle-aged lovers of all things Balearic. Stop pretending you’re young and get on board with this lush production, is what I say.”

Ashley says: