The Swell Season, the acclaimed duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, today shared their lush, sweeping new single ‘People We Used To Be – and begin a new chapter for the band. Augmented by strings and anchored by their poignantly intertwining and soaring vocals, the song was produced by Sturla Mio Thorisson at Iceland’s Masterkey Studios and is The Swell Season’s first since 2023’s ‘The Answer Is Yes.’
“It’s a song about trying to reconcile with what feels like an end of an era and allowing one’s self to mourn the People We Used To Be while choosing to fight for the person we love and the life we built with them,” explains Irglová. “It is a song of defiance and determination as much as heart aching nostalgia.” ‘People We Used To Be’ arrives alongside a video directed by Radim Vanous and produced by Little Greta in collaboration with The Swell Season. Shot in Prague, the clip nods to Hansard and Irglová’s performances in the beloved 2007 film Once, which first catapulted the duo into the spotlight.
After the success of Once – which won them the “Best Original Song” Academy Award for ‘Falling Slowly’ – The Swell Season released their sophomore album Strict Joy in 2009, which drew critical praise from Rolling Stone, Billboard, SPIN, American Songwriter, and NPR Music, among others. In the years since, both artists have continued to have highly successful individual careers: Irglova has released three solo albums, most recently 2022’s LILA; Hansard has released five solo albums, including 2023’s All That Was East Is West of Me Now.
