2023 sees the release of the fourth and final album from The Walls. 'Stray Sparks' is a collection of rarities, gems and previously unreleased tracks that span the years from the band's first recordings in 1997 to the 'Stop the Lights' sessions in 2010. It bookends a catalogue of four critically-acclaimed albums and it's the map that traces the journey and development of the band's sound - through a diversity in styles and experimentation all weaved together with their unique knack for melody.

"Stop the Lights" is The Walls third album and was released on March 9th 2012 hitting the Irish Top 20. There’s a real freshness about it and a sense of positivity pervades. If there are any prophetic words to be heard on it then the refrain from “Phantom Power” is worth noting - “we’re not gonna give up, not gonna give out…because this is the start”. The album has been getting rave reviews.

People involved in the making of "Stop the Lights" include Dubliner Rob Kirwan, who recorded PJ Harvey’s recent Mercury Award-winning album "Let England Shake". For The Walls artwork a five-meter high installation was designed and constructed by Conor & David, one of Ireland’s best graphic design partnerships. It’s a tribute to influential characters past & present, family and band members and victims of terrible and senseless crimes in Ireland that the band wanted to remember.


What the press are saying about The Walls new album "Stop the Lights":

"The third offering from The Walls is a finely-wrought assortment of slick sonic treats.......on Stop the Lights they push the boundaries of their craft: this is their most adventurous work to date.....Delightful." HOT PRESS MAGAZINE MARCH 8th 2012

"There's no debating their song-craft and you won't find many LP's as expertly put together as Stop the Lights". - Metro Herald

"From beginning to end the album has an energy and optimism that is compulsive – do yourself a favour and grab a copy….." - WeAre Noise.com

"Stop The Lights’ may have been six years in the making but it was well worth the wait. The Wall’s are back with a bang" - Golden Plec.com

"Their capacity to craft catchy melodies certainly remains intact and Stop The Lights is arguably their finest work to date." - Alternative Ulster Magazine

"….a songwriting formula that is certainly concrete-solid…" - The Irish Times

"This album is storytelling at its best" - The Sunday World 1/04/2012

"What impressed me the most is how they managed to make each song sound individual and unique while still retaining that recognisable ‘The Walls’ sound". - FameMagazine.co.uk 2/04/2012

BIOGRPAHY:

One of Ireland’s most respected and successful acts, The Walls were formed by brothers Steve and Joe Wall. Over the years they have not only supported artists such as U2, Bob Dylan, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Crowded House, but renowned US-tastemaker Nic Harcourt even invited them all the way to L.A. to perform live on his legendary KCRW show “Morning Becomes Eclectic”. Previously the main-men in the multi-platinum selling Irish band The Stunning, the brothers are no strangers to writing hit songs.

The band recently released their third album Stop The Lights on their own imprint Dirtbird Records and, just like their predecessors, it hit the Top 20 in Ireland on the back of three strong singles and regular airplay. Stop The Lights equally tasteful and subtle production reveals new layers of sonic detail with each listen, and the album further demonstrates The Walls’ considerable strengths as writers, arrangers and lyricists. The songs are easily their finest to date, combining flawless, imaginative melodies with beautifully constructed harmonies, and showcase a great band at the peak of their powers.

Over the past few years, The Walls music has featured in numerous movies, TV series and commercials (brands such as Guinness, British Telecom, Aer Lingus, MTV to name a few). "Drowning Pool" from the band's second album is the opening track on the film "Can a Song Save Your Life". Also, the new HTC One Smartphone is pre-loaded with ten songs, one of which is "Stop the Lights" from the current Walls album.

Last March 2013 The Walls made their first trip to Russia where they performed three shows and appeared on the biggest chat show in Russia with an average audience of 40 million viewers.

There have also been extra-curricular activities going on in The Walls camp. Steve has started acting again and has been cast in “Moone Boy”, the new series for Sky TV created by Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, IT Crowd) and “Dark Touch” a creepy horror by French director Marina de Van (Don’t Look Back; In my Skin) due for release this year. And these days Joe has become involved with BIMM music college in Dublin, bringing his experience to their various workshops on songwriting and music production.

www.thewalls.ie thewallshq@gmail.com

Includes "Drowning Pool" from the 2014 hit movie "Begin Again" starring Kiera Knightley and Marc Ruffalo. New Dawn Breaking is the second album from The Walls and was released in May 2005. It went straight into the Irish charts at number 5. To the Bright and Shining Sun was a huge hit for the band in 2003 but it didn't appear on an album until this one. The singles 'Passing Through', Black and Blue and Drowning Pool also received a lot of airplay which helped draw attention to the album's release.

Recorded live in Studio Black Box in the Loire Valley in France the band's dynamic had changed with the departure of original member Carl Harms on keys and guitar. The band never had a dedicated bassist and instead swopped it around during gigs.

Earlier in 2005 Jon O'Connell joined as a full time bass guitarist and Joe and Steve moved onto playing solely guitar. Jon's baptism of fire was a two week tour of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic where the band tried out a lot of the new material. So by the time they went into the studio they were pretty tight.

David Odlum - formerly the guitarist with The Frames - produced and mixed the album except for Open Road, Ghosts and Highwire which were mixed by Gareth Mannix in Dublin.

THE WALLS – ‘NEW DAWN BREAKING’ - ALBUM REVIEWS

“it contains the best work of their career” – SUNDAY TIMES

“an immediately impressive record on almost every level....well worth the wait” – HOT PRESS

“The Walls have always possessed an organic aura that makes them so darn likeable and they’ve successfully imbued this glow into the making of the record giving it that homely Wilco feeling…an album full of hooks, catchy choruses and stomping tunes”. TOTALLY DUBLIN

“So at an important point in their career, The Walls have made a great album. Two guitarists, bass and drum’s - music just doesn’t get any better than this.”
– SUBCULTURE MAGAZINE

“New Dawn Breaking should put this hard-working band back where they belong - bringing down the house, as well as holding up the ceiling. The Stunning? No way, this is more of a first time buyers' investment”. – ENTERTAINMENT.IE

“Super-charged with the idea of starting afresh, at its best 'New Dawn Breaking' has an urgency about it which proves infectious. The wait was worth it”. RTE.IE
“Long-awaited and highly anticipated, this album is all it was promised to be. The twelve tracks bring us from sheer ecstasy to extreme sadness and right back again”. – LIMERICK EVENT GUIDE.
“A massive return to form..”- SUNDAY WORLD MAGAZINE
“Steve and Joe Wall are nothing if not resilient. Less strong-willed souls might have quit the business had they been confronted with the fact that a former associate stole all their royalties. The Walls have always had a knack for writing rousing, hook-laden songs that appeal to the daytime-radio programmers and booze-soddled gig-goers. New Dawn Breaking won’t disappoint with its mix of the introspective and anthemic. The raw, rocking Drowning Pool proves the band isn’t just raking over old ground, while The Bright and Shining Sun’s quality has survived its near-constant airplay on that AIB ad.” - IRISH INDEPENDENT