The Orielles – You are Eating a Part of Yourself & To Undo the World Itself
The Orielles have today shared double-single “You are Eating a Part of Yourself” and “To Undo the World Itself”, two new tracks taken from their fourth studio album, Only You Left – out March 13 via Heavenly – a meticulous yet exploratory record which sees them emerge anew from their seven-year cycle where they began with Silver Dollar Moment (2018).
“To Undo the World Itself”, has hints of Tara Clerkin Trio in the repeated, reverb-drenched vocal melodies, but also leans towards the expansive post-rock of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky in its cathartic forward-motion and “You are Eating a Part of Yourself” shares a similar dark euphoria as both gradually submerge the listener in a glitch-laden tide of feedback and noise. Coupled with the rising harmonic progressions there’s a pervasive sense of bittersweetness, of time irrevocably passing by.
Accompanied by a video directed by Neelam Khan Vela which spans both tracks, the band said: “‘You are Eating a Part of Yourself’ began when a durational guitar loop was released from the archive of improv’s recorded in Henry’s bedroom. The title, which comes from a video artwork dating 1996, captures the darkness emanating from the original recording, and reflects the clarity to be able to define that feeling some years later. Through music (and some words) we unfurled the emotion captured back then, as we put our ears up to the organs of the body orchestrating their own symphony and dissonance.
Closing track of the album ‘To Undo the World Itself’ sings of rebirth and reversal, or outstanding finality, depending on the impression that ‘Only You Left’ leaves you with. The cathartic crescendo meant that this was a favourite to play in the various live rooms that we wrote / recorded in, where it was trialled against the backdrops of thunderstorms and peaceful sunsets alike.”
Neelam added about the video: “After almost a decade of collaborating with The Orielles, we share a connection that makes our creative process completely intuitive, like a long rally where ideas are passed back and forth without needing to be spoken. The band filmed with Lewis and Giulia in Manchester, and from that starting point I let the emotional pull of the tracks guide the edit, completing the video through what the music evoked and what the evolving images seemed to ask for.”
“You’ve got to die and be reborn between albums,” begins Henry Wade, guitarist for The Orielles, describing the foundations of the band’s fourth studio album, Only You Left. “It comes naturally,” adds singer and bassist Esmé Hand-Halford,“it’s not something we consciously do.” Through this process of creative renewal, the Manchester-based trio – completed by drummer Sidonie Hand-Halford – have managed to weather a pandemic, defy the fickleness of a trend-led music industry, and emerge, phoenix-like, with something familiarly Orielles, yet altogether different.
Recorded in two locations – Hydra and Hamburg – over the summer of 2024, the 11 tracks of Only You Left sees the band consolidate the bold experimentation of their previous LP, Tableau (2022), with a return to the more stripped-back, song-led approach of their early origins. “There’s nothing more trad than a three-piece,” quips Henry, in reference to the band’s decision to return to their roots as a trio. Originally from Halifax, the Orielles first came to recognition in 2018 with their debut album, the indie-rock Silver Dollar Moment, which is approaching its eighth birthday in February 2026. “These things come in like seven year cycles. So we’ve come in like a full circle back to a familiar place, just as different people.”
According to Henry, the first ideas for Only You Left came in May 2023. Esmé had bought a freeze pedal, which allowed her to play around with sustained notes on her guitar – these heavy drones would later form the basis for the tracks “Wasp” and “Three Halves”. In the lulls between touring, the band began to meet up and record their practice room sessions, later analyzing the voice notes to the finest detail.
“We recorded everything on our phones, every snippet,” explains Henry. “We went so deep into what each song needed or what we wanted to hear from it.”
Whereas the process of Tableau was semi-improvisational and part-written in the recording studio, Only You Left was fleshed out through a series of intense writing sessions dating from May 2023 to the summer of 2024. Each song was refined meticulously and became its own distinctive work. “It almost felt really novel for us to be writing as a three-piece and really, really crafting these songs,” remarks Esmé.“But Tableau gave us that confidence to know we could go into a studio and pull things together in that setting under the time pressure.”
The band have been collaborating closely with producer and engineer Joel Anthony Patchett – whom Esme dubs the honorary fourth member of the band – since Silver Dollar Moment. His influence on Only You Left is apparent: “Joel brings an extra level of interpretation and deep listening,” says Henry, “and it’s always exciting to explore that.”
“He’s constantly talking us through every step of what he’s doing and getting us really, really involved with that process as well,” adds Sidonie. “And we’re just kind of learning together and making these mistakes and discovering things together.”
The album artwork features a specially commissioned triptych built by Louie Morris, continuing the themes within “Three Halves”. The band describes the process of its creation: “Building the album artwork as a physical object, a sculptural form to photograph, made on hinged wooden board and constructed to look like a modernized replica of the 14th century originals, we hope that our triptych will continue to wear and decay, and as we keep it, highlight imperfections and passing of time.”
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