Sixteen years since they last got together for an album Irish musician Glen Hansard and Czech singer and pianist Markéta Irglová are reunited in a typically high-quality piece of art.

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Glen Hansard had already had success with The Frames and appeared in The Commitments prior to meeting Markéta Irglová. They created an album together in 2006 called The Swell Season, the title eventually becoming the name of their collaboration as well. They acted together that same year in the low budget Irish film Once, that became something of a breakout hit globally and eventually spawned an award-winning stage musical. They provided the music for the film and ‘Falling Slowly’ picked up the Oscar for Best Song. Another album followed in 2009. In 2022 they reunited for some live dates, which turned into some more, and then led to ‘Forward’. “It felt right to title the record ‘Forward’ because it’s a reunion of sorts, but we’re not going backwards,” Irglová says. “Both of us have grown and changed; we’re in different places and getting to know each other again as the new people we’ve become.” Hansard says. “We remained good friends, helping on each other’s records, keeping up
with each other’s families. While touring my last record, I realized I just missed her.”

This is not a long album at only eight tracks. With 50% being released as singles the flavour of the offering was already very clear before the whole album was available. Three singles in a row start things off. First is ‘Factory Street Bells.’ Initially it is just Hansard on acoustic guitar and vocals, Irglová on piano, gorgeous simplicity before the full band gradually comes in with violin and drums as Hansard hits the chorus. This is The Swell Season in a nutshell, capturing beautiful moments of life and celebrating them.

Irglová takes the vocals on ‘People We Used To Be,’ Hansard harmonising along the way. There is such a depth of life and experience funnelled into these tracks. Again, it builds and builds – the ending swirling with emotion. ‘Stuck in Reverse,’ does similar tricks, the orchestration is fantastic.

‘I Leave Everything’ feels like a track from the Toy Story franchise, every bit as good as the devastating ‘When She Loved Me.’ Irglová absolutely owns this track, the vocals are stunning, and her piano accompanies it superbly. Even ‘A Little Sugar,’ that starts off less promisingly still manages a huge wave of emotion.

My absolute favourite single, and track on the album having now heard it all, is ‘Great Weight.’ There is an almost noirish quality to it, that great saxophone opening giving way to a jazz and blues infused gentle stomp. Hansard sounds almost Bob Dylan like in his delivery.

The album closes with another round of great harmonising in ‘Hundred Words.’ It is a stirring and epic ending to a stirring and epic album. This is a beautifully old-fashioned release. It has a genuinely timeless quality to it. The band is highly skilled, the harmonies strong. Both Hansard and Irglová bring different strengths to the party, and they genuinely complement each other, raising each other’s game and challenging each other to do better. My only complaint is the length, it leaves you greedy for another two, three or six tracks. As it is the quality control bar is high, perhaps that was reason enough to get out whilst they were ahead. Let us hope they don’t leave it another sixteen years for the next reunion.

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