I’ve been feeling quite nostalgic lately. Call it old age—having recently turned 40—or whatever, but I’ve been remembering the past fondly.
In 2006, during my senior year of college, back when I read Filter magazine to find new music, I started listening to The Swell Season—the self-titled debut by Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová.
The duo starred in and performed the music for the 2007 Irish film “Once,” and their song “Falling Slowly” won the Oscar for best original song at the 80th Academy Awards.
After touring in support of their stellar sophomore release “Strict Joy” in 2009—coinciding with the peak of my Decemberists and Iron & Wine fandom—the duo stepped out of the spotlight. Although both recorded solo projects since, The Swell Season faded from memory like the iPod now sitting in my drawer.
Now, 16 years later, The Swell Season is looking “Forward” on their new album, released Friday, July 11, 2025, via Masterkey Sounds and Plateau.
“In the songs, the word seems to suggest the forward motion in spite of feeling somewhat held by the past, struggling to break free of it, which is interesting, because thankfully, neither Glen nor I felt that way,” Irglová said on the band’s website. “And yet the sentiment was undeniably there in our songs.”
She said the album was recorded over three sessions two years ago in Iceland.
“Fourteen years later, we found ourselves in a studio again, and it felt like the time was just right,” she said. “Sitting in a room together with our instruments I remember inviting the creative energy in, hoping it would show up, knowing one couldn’t count on it. When it entered the room it was like an old friend making an appearance.”
The album opens with the familiar Swell Season swoon of strings, guitars, piano and violin on “Factory Street Bells,” punctuated by Hansard’s captivating voice. The subject matter has matured with the band, as the song shows a son the promising future that lies ahead.
Irglová takes the lead on the album’s first single, “People We Used to Be.” According to a statement, the song is an examination of past relationships—but it also fits The Swell Season’s current state. In a joint message, they wrote:
“As an opener to our new work together, it couldn’t be more fitting. This song symbolizes perfectly how our own relationship has evolved over the years to a place where we’ve found strength in our friendship. It’s about empowerment and looking forward—not just for us, but for anyone who’s weathered changes and come through stronger.”
Trading verses, the duo seems to sing to each other on the chorus:
“I will not stand by and watch this fire
Burn down everything we worked so hard to build
If you keep willing those flames to go higher
You know they will”
Hansard channels his inner Neil Diamond on “Stuck in Reverse,” the second single released earlier this year:
“My love, can we go backwards
Back to the days before the going got rough?}
I know there’s no going back now
I tried to move on, but I got stuck in reverse”
“I Leave Everything to You” sounds like a number from a musical, especially with Irglová’s theatrical delivery, while “A Little Sugar” is sweet in its folk simplicity, giving Hansard a Bruce Springsteen “Nebraska” like quality.
You can hear the heartbreaking honesty in Irglová’s voice as she delivers the opening verse of “Pretty Stories.” Her vocals feel whimsical, while the violins shine brightly, using every bit of their expressive power to shape the mood:
“I won’t say I didn’t see this coming
I’m just surprised, ’cause it happened so fast
I didn’t have time to prepare myself
I was busy making pretty stories
In my mind, and was free of worries”
The gritty “Great Weight” uses a solid brass section to give the track a throwback bluesy feel—almost channeling Bob Dylan vibes.
The album closes with “Hundred Words,” which opens with Irglová and a piano before Hansard joins in. The chorus points to a higher power:
“Don’t give up, don’t give up
Don’t stop believing, don’t stop believing
Keep the faith, keep the faith
Don’t close the book, just keep on reading”
But perhaps the most powerful moment on “Forward” is when they sing the bridge together, ending with:
“Yet I am still hung up on things I wish would change
I’m still looking for someone to hand me the answers.”
At eight songs spanning 36 minutes, “Forward” is the perfect third act for The Swell Season. It addresses the long gap between records, stays grounded in the present and rekindles the magic of their early work—while showcasing how Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová have grown as artists and as collaborators.
Get “Forward” from The Swell Season, Amazon, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Deezer and qobuz.
Don’t miss The Swell Season live:
- July 26 – Kings Theatre, Brooklyn, New York
- July 29 – The Met, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- July 31 – TD Stage at the Peace Center, Greenville, South Carolina
- Aug. 1 – Durham Performing Arts Center, Durham, North Carolina
Favorite Tracks
Factory Street Bells
People We Used To Be
Stuck In Reverse
I Leave Everything To You
Pretty Stories
Great Weight
