New Music: Ways of Seeing – USA 94

With a new LP in the works, Cork band Ways of Seeing treat us to their particular take on post-punk and shoegaze on USA 94.

The song is full of nostalgia, but then it does expound on a very particular time in Irish sport and history. The song is aware of its contradictions because that era, the time of Jackie Charlton and World Cup mania, also saw Ireland try to cast off the parochialism and conservatism that some now look back to with fondness.

I’m not sure if it’s deliberate, because to me, the post-punk essence of the track is tempered with sonic references to Irish bands of that decade like A House, Something Happens, and Microdisney.

They often looked behind the surface of Irish society, and Ways of Seeing also do that here, simultaneously highlighting how some things – mental health, addiction, identity – are still hard to talk about even in more progressive times.

“USA 94 is about the gap between what we cheer for and what we carry,” says lyricist James O’Donnell. “That summer was magic, but it didn’t save everyone.”

USA 94 and more music from Ways of Seeing can be heard on SoundCloud, YouTube Music and Spotify. For all the latest band and album news, be sure to check out Ways of Seeing on Instagram. The band plays Coughlans in Cork this Friday, the 27^th of June.