Cork Alt-Rockers Ways of Seeing release gritty new single

Music Review | 26th Aug, 2025 Ways of Seeing

Cork’s own alt-rock outfit Ways of Seeing are on a serious upward trajectory. Since dropping their debut single USA ’94 and follow-up Idolise, they’ve been carving out a name for themselves on the live scene, packing venues like Mike the Pies, Cleere’s, and a sold-out Coughlan’s.

Their latest single, Cruel, Naturally, sees Ways of Seeing leaning into their guitar-driven alt-rock roots. With riffs that stick and a vocal delivery drenched in melancholy, the track manages to feel both intimate and anthemic, imagine The Smiths meeting Kasabian.

Cruel, Naturally unfolds in fragments: glimpses of childhood, disillusionment in adulthood and that creeping realisation that some experiences never fade. The line "No one ever makes it, to save themselves and save the born" sums up the difficulty of breaking cycles while carrying this weight. The song recognises the rage that can come with that burden and the quiet resignation that often follows. It also points to the subtler inheritances: silence, emotional absence or unspoken expectation that shape people just as powerfully as obvious trauma. - lead singer James O'Donnell

Fans won’t have long to wait for more. On the 10th October, 2025, Ways of Seeing drop their debut album, The Inheritance of Fear. Produced by Christian Best (Susan O’Neill, Mick Flannery, O Emperor), with additional production and mixing by Daniel Fox of Gilla Band and mastering by Jamie Hyland (Mhaol), it promises to be a powerful statement from a band clearly hitting their stride.

Ways Of Seeing - Cruel Naturally

The single, Cruel Naturally, is available through all streaming platforms.

Photo Credit: Ways Of Seeing