Alan Power releases a wistful slice of Americana on “Irene”

“Irene” is one of those songs that has the ability to subtly seep into your subconscious and linger there for days, occasionally popping up to loop lyrics around with a warming familiarity.

Alan Power emerged from nowhere in early 2018 following a series of much talked about live appearances before sharing stages with The Vaccines, Matt Maltese and Spector. Live, his gigs provoked attention for their showmanship and unpredictability, as he represents the road-worn card sharks of the Texan Interstate gambling dens. There's certainly more than a hint of Alex Cameron to both his music and ensuing persona.

Having built himself as a jaded and seen-it-all heartbroken cowboy, Power’s new single has that swaggering look-at-what-you-could-have-had nostalgic sentiment. It plays on the hope of waking from a dream, only to realise the life you possessed for mere seconds was a fantasy and the only way back is to drift into dreams.

Of the single, Power says, “When I think about Irene all these years later. I imagine her flicking through my Instagram pictures wishing she’d never left. And that is, in essence, the whole reason I wrote it. 'Irene' was the last song written on the album. It was produced by legendary Australian troubadour, Jack Ladder at Tesla Studios in Sheffield.

“One of my favourite parts of the song is the guitar solo, played by Dave Tattersall from the Wave Pictures. He’s all over the record and it’s a better record for it. Best collaboration since Johnny Depp and Oasis. It is a country song as all my songs are, even the ones that people say aren’t. I imagine driving off into the sunset in a beat up American car when I listen to it. Maybe crying behind some sunglasses. Irene is all the women that got away, and she rhymes better than Sarah.”