Max HeyraudWe sat down with 49th & Main ahead of the release of their debut album Happy Tears, dropping this Friday, a coming-of-age soundtrack filled with nostalgia, catharsis, and the carefree chaos of two Kilkenny lads bottling life’s moments in music.
One of Ireland’s hottest tickets in the world of indie-mutated electronica, 49th & Main are set to release their debut album Happy Tears via Ninja Tune sub-label Counter Records. The record is described by the band as a “coming-of-age” soundtrack, and that idea runs right through the heart of it, carving out a nostalgic trip through seminal life experiences, reflecting on how those moments have shaped them, their music, and their outlook. There’s a somewhat melancholic lens on the present and future, forming what becomes a near-cathartic record that, without fear of sounding overdramatic, explores the idea of time, but with a uniquely tongue-in-cheek aesthetic. As you’d expect, it’s all firmly rooted in their background as two Kilkenny lads essentially having the craic and, as they’ve put it, “chasing those moments and bottling them in music.”
More often than not, this is the part where we describe the palette of sounds used, how the artists pieced them together, and what brushstrokes they used to make it all fit, but that feels a bit redundant for anyone who hasn’t heard the record yet (or will go on to interpret it in their own way). What feels more important here is the context: why this music stands on its own as a debut, why the band chose to explore certain themes, and how they’ve managed to contextualise everything through the lens of the little things in life. It feels like they’re telling the story of life so far through snapshots, the bigger picture seen in the smaller moments.
And much like the album itself, there are little pockets of joy, like on “Hold On” featuring Shee, more reflective, introspective moments like “Rewind,” and some mammoth anthems like “Can’t Walk Away.” The record captures every facet of what they’ve spoken about, from tender introspection to grand finale moments, and it all feels honest. And that’s what matters.
We caught up with the pair ahead of the release of Happy Tears on Friday.
So let’s start at the obvious place, the album, due to drop in full next month, how are you feeling about it?
Paddy:
Can’t help but feel nervous for it coming out, but that’s also mainly just excitement. It’s always the issue of feeling like you want to keep working on the music. Some of the songs we’ve had in the locker for a long time, and after a while of hearing them, there’s always more room for change, but there comes a point where you have to let it be.
Ben:
I’m getting quite nervous, but I actually listened to the whole thing on a car journey the other day, and it settled me down a bit. I remembered how much I love these songs and how much fun I had making them.
It feels like a bit of a new direction for the band, would I be right in saying that?
Paddy:
It does feel like we’ve expanded the world that is 49th & Main, but it’s almost like we are going back to our roots in some ways. We feel the album shows a good deal of versatility, and yet it still all feels right together.
Ben:
I actually wouldn’t say I agree, with respect, of course. I feel like once the whole project is listenable, I hope you’ll recognise it as a ‘49th & Main’ project. Same direction, just a bit further down the path.
The album is notably released via Counter Records, a sub-label of Ninja Tune, a label with a strong roster of past acts from Folamour to Maribou State, Tiga, Audiobullys and notably a bit of a home-label for 49th & Main. How did that relationship start, and how was it working with them to produce the album?
Paddy:
Our relationship began around three years ago; long may it last. One of our selling points, and downfalls, I guess, as it seems to labels, is our versatility and not being a straightforward band setup or electronic artist. Ninja, like us, saw that as a strength, where other labels wanted us to be more specific. I think we knew right from then, Ninja was our home, and they got it. They’ve helped us creatively and pulled everything together for this album; the team really have been with us from the very start.
Ben:
In 2021, we had a lot of meetings with label A&R, and we were a bit overwhelmed with how many people wanted to come and make our ‘dreams come true’. The meeting with Ninja felt really good. They wanted to help us in the long term instead of essentially trying to bullshit us, and it’s turned into a real family-type relationship.
The record is described as a “coming of age soundtrack”, and I was wondering what other records, gigs, or experiences helped define this sound for both of you? In a sense, what was your coming-of-age soundtrack?
Ben:
I grew up listening to so much music, but unfortunately, the music I just so happened to be listening to around the time I turned 18 was mostly filthy homemade SoundCloud tunes. So yeah, your music taste might be better than mine.
Paddy:
I always listened to more indie and rock music, but then coming into college, I also began to listen to more electronic, as does everyone, I feel. Nightclubs become the new scene, and with that, the club music.
The record sounds like an emotional one in many ways. I gauged that the process of writing it was near therapeutic and somewhat cathartic. Am I on the right path here with my train of thought?
Paddy:
There’s definitely some emotional tracks, even some songs that genuinely brought ‘happy tears’ when writing them. It doesn’t often make me emotional when writing, but the more I feel I’ve met fans that connect with the music on an emotional level, I feel an even more emotional charge now when writing. ‘Good Times’ and ‘Ardbeg’ are two which I can say are tearjerkers.
Ben:
Yeah, I enjoyed pulling everything together for this album. I wanted to put some old recordings from family videos, so I sat through hours and hours of videotapes to find some bits. It was lovely. There were some wet eyes, but it was amazing to get to experience those moments again.
You’ve been dropping singles and promoting the album for the last few months, and that continues up until the release date, but now is very much crunch time. How has your relationship with the music changed over time? Are you preferring some tracks over others? Has your perception of certain tracks changed, etc., with time?
Ben:
By the time a song gets to the stage where it is released, I’ve probably heard it close to 500 times. So safe to say when it comes out, I’m fairly sick of it. So, purposely, since we finished the record in January, I haven’t listened to any of it. I’m excited to listen to it again, along with everyone else.
Paddy:
The tracks change themselves so much before we release them. Sometimes we could have five or more versions of a song before we settle on which we like the most or is sonically the most logical. I feel like my relationship with the tracks on the album hasn’t changed, though, excited for our listeners to hear all of them equally.
Let’s shift gears a little. How’s touring been? It must be nice doing it as a duo as opposed to touring solo?
Ben:
We’ve been more than just a duo lately. We’ve had a drummer, a sax player, a sound guy, a van driver, videographer. It’s an operation these days. Not only has everyone been so talented, but they’ve been so sound and absolutely lovely to work with. That’s the main thing, isn’t it? Especially when you’re spending a lot of time in close proximity.
Paddy:
I do think that had either of us tried touring alone, we’d find it much harder. It’s nice having a group travelling, and for gigs it’s best to feed off others for energy on stage, as it does become so exhausting when you’re not getting enough sleep and want to get out there giving your best show.
You’ve been kept busy touring, but September is the big album tour. How are you feeling going into that? Looks like an intense schedule.
Ben:
Yeah, I’d love it if touring was easier tbh hahaha. It’s intense, but as soon as you step out onto stage, you’re quickly reminded how lucky we are to play music for a living. Really excited to play some shows in Europe too, our first time ever in some of these spots. P.S. Please buy some tickets to our Finland show.
Paddy:
I’m excited to head on the tour, and for once, I feel like my past touring experience is gonna be useful. The last few times it’s been work and a bit of a party, but I know myself, this time I’m gonna have to take all the vocal rest and sleep I can get to make it through the tour without getting sick or losing my voice.
You just announced a show at Vicar Street, a landmark venue in Ireland’s capital. How do you approach going into one of these somewhat “watershed” shows in your calendar?
Ben:
Genuinely, it’s not too different to the rest of the shows. Maybe a few more nerves peppered in there. The most stressful thing about these Dublin shows is sorting the guestlist. God forbid we forget to put our friends on there. We’d be in serious trouble.
Paddy:
I think Vicar Street is gonna be a great venue for us. I have seen a good few shows there and it’s probably my favourite venue in Dublin. I almost think the bigger shows work better for our music—the room will be hopping, hopefully, with some of the new music.
How do you want fans to feel walking away from your shows?
Ben:
That they feel like they’ve been distracted from the stresses of the day-to-day, or just from the various atrocities being committed across the globe. If we can offer a little respite from these things, even for a few minutes, that would be something.
Paddy:
The music industry is one where people come and go fast and often. It is a scary thought that our journey can end, but I would want people to be able to think back to the shows we’ve had with them and have as much joy as we do looking back.
If the 49th & Main project were going to end tomorrow, how would you want the project to be remembered?
Ben:
Strange thought, but things can change quickly. Well, I guess I’d want people to remember that we tried. Gave it a good fucking go. We didn’t plan on getting to this point, but we’re here now and we realise how lucky we are. So we’re gonna try our best to enjoy it and make the best of our opportunity.
Paddy:
This project, in particular, I think people will be able to see as one where we redefined our sound and showed how versatile it is at the same time.
You can purchase tickets here.
