Folk project, How I Became A Wave releases mesmerising new single

Music Review | 25th May, 2025 How I Became A Wave

Self-described as aggressively quiet, indie folk artist How I Became A Wave, is the project of Pat Carey, formerly vocalist and songwriter with the critically acclaimed Cork indie outfit, The Hard Ground.

The latest single, Cycles, showcases Careys rich and authentic sound as he blends acoustic guitar, strings and minimal percussion, layered under his soft and sooting vocal delivery.

Cycles, is the follow-up to 2021's Fading Out, which heralded the release of a debut album that had to be temporarily shelved due to personal and professional circumstances. Thankfully, the release of Cycles is the first of a number of singles in 2025 that will culminate in that album getting its long-awaited release this autumn.

Sometimes it's an easy narrative to believe that repetition of behaviours or circumstances in our lives means that we're not learning the lessons that life is teaching us. I don't believe that's always the case.

I think that challenges that can seem similar or even exactly the same at different points of our life, while the cause and effects can differ greatly. And lessons learned can sometimes be overrated, or maybe over-desired. Life isn't about 'figuring it all out', and life isn't about eradicating challenges - it's not something that we can complete or perfect. - Pat Carey

How I Became A Wave - Cycles

Cycles is accompanied by a lyric video by West Cork artist and graphic designer Megan Clancy, who shot it as a way of documenting part of the process behind the creation of the imagery for the single. Inspired by the idea of imperfect circles representing the theme of cycles, Clancy created a series of images using fibres reclaimed from the sea, twisted, woven and tied into individual circles, and the result is entrancing.

The single, Circles, is available through all streaming platforms.

Photo Credit: Celeste Burdon