Bowden
Music Page By Paddy McCarthy
I have been promising to feature this band Bowden for a while now, so as they are prepping for a lot of success in the future, here we go.
Just months after their acclaimed return with “Be Your Own God,” the Cork-based five-piece Bowden are back with a new single, “Faster,” released on May 2nd — a final taster before their long-awaited debut album, “Glacier,” out on May 23rd.
With this song, Bowden dives into some of their most emotionally unfiltered territory yet. Built around a tense, urgent rhythm and a restrained sense of chaos, the track captures the feeling of spiraling in slow motion—watching something give way, whether it’s a relationship, a mindset, or even yourself.
This is Bowden at their most urgent, stripping back the lush layers found on previous singles and letting raw emotion lead the way. There’s a restless energy underpinning “Faster” — a quiet volatility that lingers in the delivery and pacing, matching the song’s subject matter step for step. At times, it feels like a deep breath held too long; at others, like a sharp exhale after months of silence. “Faster” arrives as the final preview of Bowden’s debut album “Glacier,” out May 23rd.
Produced by Christian Best (Mick Flannery, O Emperor, Susan O’Neill), “Glacier” is a careful and confident body of work—one that’s already gathering quiet momentum as one of the most compelling Irish albums of the year. The album also sees Bowden collaborate with acclaimed musicians Matthew Berrill (saxophone) and Dylan Howe (trumpet), adding texture and depth without ever crowding the songs’ core emotional weight
There’s a clear through-line between the tracks released so far — “Peel,” “Everyone,” “Be Your Own God” and now “Faster.” Each song reveals a different shade of the band’s evolving sound: textured but not overworked, emotionally open without resorting to cliché.
Whether it’s the disorientation of isolation (“Be Your Own God”) or the desperate search for clarity (“Faster”), Bowden are not afraid to ask difficult questions, even when answers are scarce.
About Bowden hailing from Cork, Bowden are a rising alt-rock band known for their atmospheric sound and quietly intense songwriting. Influenced by the likes of Radiohead, Villagers and Foals, their music drifts between the introspective and the explosive—often within the same track.
Early support from national radio (including 2FM’s Dan Hegarty), praise from Hot Press and recognition from Spotify’s The Cork Playlist (where they were voted Best New Act) all point to a band very much on the rise. Their live shows have become essential for those in the know — intimate yet expansive, sharp yet unpretentious — earning them headline slots in Cork’s Fred Zeppelin’s, along with well-received appearances in Mike the Pies (Listowel), Kavanagh’s Portlaoise and Bakers (Clonmel).
With “Glacier” arriving earlier this month and “Faster” pushing things into even bolder territory, Bowden are closing in on something special — whether it’s a resolution or a reckoning, we’ll soon find out. They must be pretty good on stage as they come from Cork where I come from and it seems they have the talent to back it up. As I said, you will be hearing quite a lot from them very soon. Look out for Bowden coming your way.