LUCY MCWILLIAMS ANNOUNCES DEBUT EP ‘THIRD SECOND CHANCE’

credit Luvi Crezia

ALONGSIDE THE SOARING NEW SINGLE “OLD WAYS”

‘THIRD SECOND CHANCE’ EP OUT MARCH 22ND

After reintroducing herself last year with a string of widely-praised singles including “Slow Dancing”, “Plastic” and “Follow Me”, emerging Irish alt-pop singer and songwriter Lucy McWilliams is now returning for 2024 to announce the details of her new EP ‘Third Second Chance’, alongside the soaring new offering “Old Ways”.

Cementing her vibrant aesthetic these last few years, ‘Third Second Chance’ looks to broaden the progressive and emotive journey she has been on lately. Showcased by the new single “Old Ways“, she continues to shine across this warm and illuminating delight.

Speaking about “Old Ways”, she said, “Old Ways is about letting go of a version of yourself that you’ve grown out of. In the past I have found it easy to get comfortable with my current situation due to my surroundings and fear of change. This song is a message to break free, whether that be from your hometown, a relationship, or just the desire for more from life. It reminds me that change is important for growth and never to forget that.”

Lucy McWilliams has also been confirmed for a number of headline performances in the coming months. See below for the full list of confirmed dates so far.

Lucy McWilliams UK Tour Dates:

27th March @ Servants Jazz Quarters, London
28th March @ The Grand Social, Dublin

Ireland has a rich history when it comes to storytelling. And so, it’s perhaps no surprise that Dublin-born singer-songwriter Lucy McWilliams makes music steeped in candour, her sweet vocal lithe and mellifluous as she sings about the joys and pains of letting yourself be open to love. Her songs – which, at the time of writing, have over 16 million streams on Spotify alone – do not sit neatly under one genre; expansive indie, slinky R&B, swaying acoustic pop, ’90s-rom-com-style rock, all find a home in her sound.

Collaborating with her producer friend Charlie Hugall on a slew of singles that have garnered plenty of buzz with their soft intimacy, she is now preparing to release her EP, Third Second Chance, featuring work from Zach Dawes (known for his work with the likes of Lana Del Rey and The Last Shadow Puppets). Travelling to LA to work with Dawes, their collaboration has allowed McWilliams to explore her sharper edges.

The result is a record that sounds bigger and more assured than anything Lucy McWilliams has ever done before. On buoyant, soaring lead single “Plastic“, she interrogates her past amenability in relationships, airing her frustrations with her own willingness to lose sight of her real self and her true desires in the pursuit of being loved. The rest of the EP, on tracks like “Mr Useless“, “Old Ways“, “Follow Me” and “I’m OK“, find her similarly exploring themes of anger, boundaries and loving, recognising that as she gets older her openness to love also has to include love and respect for herself. These are anthemic tracks about womanhood in your 20s.

This is the sound of an artist stepping into a new era, still open and tender but with a sense of assured self-respect running through it. Having already supported the likes of Arlo Parks and Jake Isaac, as well as playing festival dates and gigs across Ireland, London and Paris, this is just the beginning of Lucy McWilliams’ journey. But while the sounds might change along with tone and mood, the central philosophy of her work will always be the same. Rooted in a culture of storytelling, Lucy McWilliams’ unvarnished pop songs are reminders to not be afraid of opening up to love, but also to know your own worth within each of those connections. Drawing from a vast sonic range, these are songs about loving deeply enough to know when to step away.