The Coming Storm is the debut EP by the Irish folk rock band Sisters Erie, released in spring 2012. The modest, self-produced release gives each of the Flynn sisters a lead vocal, beginning with two songs they had known before forming the band and closing with two originals. Its selection demonstrates their range as a pub band, combining two upbeat covers with an emotional original and a comic one.1 6
The Coming Storm EP cover.
Background and release
The EP followed several years of performances in County Laois. The sisters had played together at school events and local gatherings during 2008 and 2009, and regarded 2010 as the year they became a working band. Their appearance at the Danny Kyle Open Stage at Celtic Connections in Glasgow in January 2011 was an important step beyond those early settings and helped move them toward recording.2
Released in spring 2012, The Coming Storm preceded the band's first small U.S. run that summer. A visit to family friends grew into performances at Katie's Irish Pub in Burlington, Vermont, Canoe Club in Hanover, New Hampshire, and The Harp in Amherst, Massachusetts.1 2
Music and songs
The record moves from songs the sisters brought into the band to songs they wrote themselves. It also shares the lead singing across the family: Aileen opens the EP, followed by Gael and Mary, with Ryanne leading the final track.1
“Step It Out Mary” had been familiar to the sisters for years, and having a Mary in the family made it a natural source of teasing. Their arrangement gradually brings out the troubling story beneath the buoyant chorus. Aileen's measured delivery carries the final chorus away from an uncomplicated singalong.1
“The Queen of Argyll” provides a warmer, more expansive counterweight. The sisters had long known the song, but their arrangement took shape at an informal session during the January 2011 Glasgow visit. Gael took the lead, and the other three found the chorus around her.1
Mary's “An Ode to Nuada” considers the man beneath the legendary king, asking what loss and restoration can change about a person's wholeness. As the sisters worked on it, the arrangement became quieter, giving its central declarations room to stand without added drama.3
“The Castles of Ireland” supplies the comic side of the record. Mary supplied the slow-air opening, Ryanne the title, Gael found the reel, and Aileen built the turn between the two halves. The change of pace gives the sisters room to show their humor and their feel for a pub audience.4 6
The two covers give the record a wider Celtic range, while the original songs show two different sides of the sisters' writing: Mary's restrained reflection and the family argument turned into a comic song. Each sister takes a different kind of lead, with the family harmonies and Irish musical roots connecting the four arrangements.1 3 4 5
Track listing
All tracks arranged by Sisters Erie.1
| No. | Title | Written by | Lead vocal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Step It Out Mary | Sean McCarthy | Aileen Flynn |
| 2 | The Queen of Argyll | Andy M. Stewart | Gael Flynn |
| 3 | An Ode to Nuada | Mary Flynn | Mary Flynn |
| 4 | The Castles of Ireland | Ryanne Flynn and Mary Flynn | Ryanne Flynn |
Reception
“The Castles of Ireland” received some airplay on college radio stations. The song and its video helped bring the sisters attention beyond their early live audiences.6
Related articles
- Sisters Erie — the band and its early history.