Track-by-Track: Malachy Tuohy Goes Deep on His Debut Record ‘I Cross This Universe’

Once you more closely engage with Malachy Tuohy’s new album, I Cross This Universe; you may find yourself giving what you hear some profound thought. That’s because the singer-songwriter has pulled out all the stops for his debut solo album, a set of songs that are a celebration of sorts for life and all of its highs, lows, trials, and tribulations. There are love songs, tracks honouring particular individuals in Tuohy’s life, and eulogies for those who have passed on. It celebrates the steadfast, unyielding human spirit and how it is shaped and reacts to love, loss, hope, grief, and new beginnings.

Tuohy is an Irish singer-songwriter who is becoming well-known for his soulful approach to music. This is kind of his first serious go-around as a solo artist, as he is perhaps better known (at least right now) as the lead singer of the Dublin folk-rock group The Riptide Movement. Since forming in 2006, The Riptide Movement has had a successful run, consisting of four studio albums and a dedicated fanbase.

I Cross This Universe began to take shape during the pandemic-related lockdowns, which added to the stripped-down, intimate approach that Tuohy applied to these songs. There is a great emphasis on the vocals and lyrics, which adds to the introspective vibes of the ten-track set. Joining us today is Tuohy for a special track-by-track rundown of each song on I Cross This Universe, as he discusses the origin, significance, and meaning behind each song in great detail.

“I Cross This Universe is my first solo album, and it’s a concept album in a way. I love the idea of the multiverse, time travel, the butterfly effect and our connection to something greater than ourselves. It’s a time machine. It travels between the present, past, and future; it jumps through different time portals from 1894 to 1971 to 2023. I like to think of it as an album of love songs, tributes and eulogies.”

1. “I Cross This Universe”

“This is the song that is central to the album and inspired its creation. I’m really interested in the concept of parallel universes, so I wanted to take that concept and write a song about two souls who have been separated in time and space and the lengths they will go to find each other, crossing universes, parallel worlds, and gods. However, in the multiverse, there are so many different versions of themselves that they struggle to find the version they once knew. They keep searching because they have an unwavering belief in love and are willing to do anything for it.

“I love the production in this song, it’s got so much space, but it also feels really grand and epic; Beth McNinch’s strings are gorgeous on it.”

Lyric: “Just one beat of your butterfly wings changes everything.”

2. “Song for Suzie”

“This song is a tribute to Tony Colton, a good friend of mine who passed away in 2020. I thought it would be fitting to put one of his songs on my album. The song was written by Tony Colton and his bandmate Albert Lee and released in 1971 by a band called Heads, Hands and Feet. I have always had a great appreciation for the song, and I’m grateful that Albert Lee agreed to play guitar on this new recording too.

“With 52 years having passed between the original recording and this new version in 2023, it feels like a merging of two different timelines. The producer, Gavin Glass, has done an excellent job of capturing this sense of time merging on the record. I love that Albert Lee played on the original and 52 years later plays on my version. It was all recorded and produced remotely. Albert recorded his part in California, and we flew his part into the track here in Ireland.

“Imagine travelling back to 1971 and walking into the studio when Tony and Albert were recording the song and introducing myself and explaining that we’d be re-recording this song in 50 years time in 2021 and we would be recording it remotely; I would think the idea of been able to record in this way would have been mind-blowing.”

“Song for Suzie” Original Version:

3. “Requiem”

“This is exactly that; it’s placed between ‘Song for Suzie’ and ‘Jarlath’ for that reason. It is a requiem for old friends, for the departed. Moya Brennan has such an otherworldly, soulful quality, and mystique to her voice, and Rachel Grace has such an angelic timbre to her voice. Their voices and Gavin Glass’ haunting soundscape create a beautiful requiem.”

4. “Jarlath”

“I wrote this song the night my uncle Jarlath died. He was on death’s door and weighing heavily on my mind. Jarlath loved music, and I thought it might be nice to write him a song to comfort him and help him on his journey as he was passing over. I would have loved to go into the hospital with my guitar and play it for him, but the problem was we were in the middle of a nationwide COVID lockdown, and I wasn’t able to visit him; my mother and her brother were the only two family members who could visit him in the hospital.

“So, I wrote this song and sent a phone recording of it to my mother so she could play it for him at his bedside. Unfortunately, Jarlath passed over before she got a chance to play it for him. Something extraordinary happened that night. I feel like Jarlath was there with me at the piano, like he was writing the song, like it was his song; he was the conductor. Some songs take time to write; others write themselves. This song felt like it was channeled.”

Lyric: “Jarlath, if you can hear me, it’s time to come home.”

5. “Most of the Time”

“I wrote this song as a way to address the struggle many of us face in this modern world, where the fast-paced nature of life can lead to us feeling uncertain, anxious, burnt out and disconnected. It’s a song about love and the difficulty of communication. Gavin Glass, the producer is also a great guitarist, and you can hear some of his great slide playing on ‘Most of the Time.’ The arrangement brings balance to the song and gives it a really lazy, relaxed, warm summer vibe; it lightens the mood. Paul ‘Binzer’ Brennan from The Frames also plays the drums on the track. It was Gavin’s idea to get ‘Binzer’ to play on it, and I think that drum beat really adds to the song’s vibe.”

Lyric: “Most of the time, you don’t know how to feel, so you just feel nothing.”

Malachy Tuohy ‘I Cross This Universe’ album artwork

6. “Hope”

“I wrote this song as a reminder that love can carry us through any situation or obstacle that’s put in our way. Even in the most challenging times, love and hope can be a source of strength and inspiration; it’s worth holding onto and fighting for. We must have faith that love will ultimately prevail, no matter how difficult things may seem. This song has some incredible soundscapes on it, and it is the song that opens up side two of the album on the vinyl.”

Lyric: “I know it’s not easy, but hope is worth fighting for, no matter what they say, there’s a million different reasons, and love is one worth living for. Love always finds a way.”

7. “Tonight”

“I wrote this song as an ode to the power of love and the importance of appreciating the people who really matter to us. I love the stripped-back feel of this song, and again Beth McNinch’s string arrangement is beautiful and adds a real romantic feel to it and richness to it.”

Lyric: “I should have told you how wonderful you are, I tried again today, but the moment got away.”

8. “Lemonade”

“This song is a metaphor for turning a negative situation into something positive. Perspective is everything, and the song emphasizes the importance of finding your silver lining and making the best out of any situation. It’s a song of hope and resilience, on the importance of putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward, even in the face of adversity. It’s a reminder that we can turn negative situations into positive ones and find comfort in the people and things that bring us joy and happiness. I think this song is a real feel-good song; it’s got a real positive vibe and feels like a song for the summer.”

Lyric: “When life throws you lemons, just make lemonade.”

9. “Rainy Boy Sleep”

“This is a song I wrote as a tribute to Stevie Martin, a fellow artist who passed away in 2016; he was signed to Universal around the same time as my band. We would have toured on the same circuit and played many of the same stages and festivals, like Glastonbury, Reading, and Leeds. The song is about the last time I saw Stevie and also about the touring life as a musician from my perspective. Check out Stevie’s music on Spotify. His stage name was Rainy Boy Sleep.”

Lyric: “Now I know, I really understand it; I don’t miss the amplifiers and the noise when you haven’t been home in ages, that drunken hazy fuzz, I don’t miss that buzz.”

10. “The Artist”

“‘The Artist’ is a song about the life of the great Irish portraiture artist Patrick Tuohy. Born in 1894, Tuohy died tragically in a New York apartment in 1930. He was born with no left hand and studied at St. Enda’s College under Padraig Pearse and William Pearse. James Joyce famously commissioned him to paint a portrait of John Joyce, his father; he also painted Sean O’Casey. His contemporaries were Jack B. Yeats. Tuohy was famous for his watercolour ‘Supper Time,’ ‘Brittas Bay,’ and ‘A Mayo Peasant Boy.’ His paintings can be viewed in the National Gallery and Hugh Lane Gallery.”

Lyric: “Patrick, all your paintings line these walls and the gallery halls; you’ll never be forgotten.”