Irish singer-songwriter Nathan O'Regan releases new single "Better Days" + announces debut album Olive Branch, out September 19th through Zenith Cafe
LISTEN HERE
FROM THE FORTHCOMING DEBUT ALBUM ‘OLIVE BRANCH’
OUT SEPTEMBER 19TH ON ZENITH CAFE RECORDS
PRE-SAVE HERE
INCLUDES PREVIOUS SINGLE “KILLER”:
‘Killer’s rock elements are reminiscent of mid-2010’s Black Keys, with twangy guitars
and a wailing Hammond organ adding texture to the track."
HOT PRESS
"A stonking introduction to this emerging talent… a gorgeous slice of country-blues."
RECORD OF THE DAY
** HEADLINE UK TOUR THROUGH SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER **
May 14, 2025: Upcoming Irish singer-songwriter Nathan O’Regan has today released his gorgeous new single “Better Days”, the second track to be lifted from O’Regan’s forthcoming debut album ‘Olive Branch’, set for release September 18th on Zenith Cafe Records, pre-save here.
Having just completed a support tour with Lucy Spraggan, O’Regan will be performing at festivals over the summer before embarking on the ‘Olive Branch’ UK headline in September & October.
O’Regan wrote the tender ballad “Better Days” for his partner when she was pregnant with their first son. “It was written just before we had Arthur, and we were living in this tiny little house just outside of Belfast. It felt like we were boxed in,” he remembers. “You couldn’t step in a straight line, you were climbing over things to get anywhere, and we just didn’t know where a baby was even going to fit. I just wanted to tell her everything was going to be ok eventually and to keep the faith.”
Warm percussion unfurls with soft piano notes as O’Regan sings in a warm, expressive croon on the chorus: “There’ll be better days / The world is gonna change / Our dreams won’t go down in flames / If you can just hold on a little longer.”
Also available now from ‘Olive Branch’, lead single “Killer” is a country-blues banger that blasts out of the gates and doesn’t let up til the final note, with a swaggering, soulful vocal from O’Regan that’s worthy of any of Nashville’s homegrown stars.
‘Olive Branch’ was recorded at Attica Studios in Donegal - run by Villagers guitarist Tommy McLaughlin - on the west coast of Ireland, and was produced by fellow Belfast-based musician Gareth Dunlop, a close friend and mentor to Nathan. Dunlop and O’Regan also co-wrote several tracks on the album, including “Better Days” and “Killer”.
Says Dunlop of working with O’Regan, “I’ve known, written and worked with Nathan for many years, and being a part of the production team on his debut album was a great reminder of the raw talent he possesses. His ability to deliver in front of the microphone take after take is rare. Nathan isn’t a singer that needs to be ‘produced’, making this album was more about hitting ‘record’ and letting him cut loose and do what he does better than most. I think we caught some magic.”
Born in Cork to a musical family, O’Regan signed to a major label when he was just 16 years old after his band won a radio competition. “I was absolutely terrible to begin with, to be honest,” he recalls now. “I definitely appreciated those early experiences of working with professional songwriters.” Yet, as is shamefully too often the case with major labels, O’Regan’s career was put on hold; his debut project stalled, and he was eventually dropped after four years.
So Nathan upped sticks and moved to Belfast, where he began making a name for himself on the local live circuit. “There was always a gig on, and it was a good way to make money, while also cutting my teeth with live performances,” he explains. “I feel like a lot of musicians might hold back, waiting for the right kind of venue or something, but I really just wanted to play anywhere that’d have me.”
He was inspired by how many like-minded, talented artists he came across: “Belfast definitely punches above its weight,” he says, “there are so many world-class players.”
Last year O’Regan signed to the Belfast-based independent label Zenith Cafe. “It feels like a momentous thing. I’ve been working towards this for almost half my life. It feels like an introduction of sorts, or starting from the very beginning.”
His early signing was “an amazing experience creatively”, he says, but also “a bit of a learning curve – it made me realise that a lot of people in this industry have no idea what they’re doing.”
He’s considerably more at home on Zenith Cafe: “It’s very DIY, we’re all working together, and they’re just really generous and supportive – everyone’s very passionate about music”.
The artwork for ‘Olive Branch’ and each single from it have been painted by renowned Belfast artist Glenn Kennedy, a 2013 Saatchi New Sensations finalist.
Download artwork here
NATHAN O’REGAN LIVE 2025
Festivals:
July 26 Blue Reef Festival Kent
Aug 15 - 17 Beautiful Days Devon
Aug 15 - 18 WeyFest Surrey
UK & Eire ‘Olive Branch’ Headline Tour:
Sept 23 Brighton Prince Albert
Sept 24 London The Lexington
Sept 25 Bristol Louisiana
Sept 26 Manchester Gullivers
Sept 28 Nottingham Bodega
Sept 29 Leeds Hyde Park Book Club
Sept 30 Liverpool Rough Trade
Oct 3 Mullingar The Stables
Oct 4 Castlebar The Royal Theatre
Oct 5 Limerick Dolans
Oct 8 Dublin The Workmans Cellar
Oct 10 Belfast The Empire
Tickets here
Nathan O’Regan ‘Olive Branch’, Track List:
01 Killer
02 Crazy For You
03 Missing Out
04 Good Day To Be Me
05 Better Days
06 Hey Man
07 Family No.2
08 Help Myself
09 Baby Steps
10 Get Down To It
11 Put These Hands To Work
12 Poetry In Motion
Released September 19th on Zenith Cafe Records. Pre-save here
Further information chris@swellpublicity.com (print) or
lorraine@longevitypr.com (online)